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November 2022 e-News

Feature Stories 

               
               Pictured above is Representative C. Denise Marcelle

Student Behavior, Mental Health, and Discipline Task Force Seeking Public and Stakeholder Input

Baton Rouge, LA - Following the November meeting and public hearing of the Student Behavior, Mental Health, and Discipline Task Force (HR 173), our fifth, the Louisiana Center for Health Equity (LCHE) began analyzing information and data to compile a report to the legislature due in January. 
 
News coverage from BR Proud and WAFB, both interviewing State Representative C. Denise Marcelle, highlighted the importance the findings of this task force will have on the future of Louisiana students. BR Proud reported "Rep. Marcelle said she wants to prioritize student mental health as she sees more and more students struggling with it and being expelled or suspended from school. With students failing or being kicked out of school, she said it adds to the crime issues around Louisiana."  Instead of punishing the student in these cases, there should be interventions in place within the school system. WAFB quoted LCHE President Alma Stewart Allen, “Mental health challenges in youth, young adults, are real and widespread. Even before the pandemic an alarming number of young people struggled with feelings of helplessness, depression, and thoughts of suicide.” The full meeting can be viewed here.
 

The Task Force is seeking further input from the public and stakeholder organizations, especially from the North, Central, Southwest, and Eastern areas of the state. The input of stakeholders across the state is sought due to its importance to this effort. To complete the questionnaire, click this link and submit responses by December 16th. If you would like to be added to the LCHE Stakeholder List for information related to the Louisiana Student Behavior, Mental Health, and Discipline Task Force, please email info@lahealthequity.org.




Video Production of Louisiana Office on Women's Health Celebration Released

Baton Rouge, LA – The Louisiana Center for Health Equity (LCHE) has released a video production of the Office on Women's Health Celebration that was held on October 16th at the LSU Women's Center. This celebration commemorates the creation of the first Louisiana Office on Women’s Health within the Louisiana Department. The video of the celebration’s highlights can be viewed here.
 
Governor John Bel Edwards signed Senate Bill 116, now ACT 676, into law on June 18th creating this new office. Several partnering organizations 
and members of the Campaign to Establish Louisiana Office on Women’s Health that advocated for an office hosted the Office on Women's Health Celebration. They were the Louisiana Center for Health Equity, League of Women Voters of Louisiana, American Association of University Women, National Congress of Black Women, The Preemie Mom Coach and 10,000 Women. This celebration was made possible through our proud sponsor, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan (UHC).


Recent Article Lauds Benefit of Governor John Bel Edwards 2016 Medicaid Expansion

Baton Rouge, LA – An article published in the Advocate’s NOLA.com Opinion Section titled “Insurance for working poor isn’t cheap but it’s a bargain for society,” praised Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards for his 2016 Medicaid expansion. The Louisiana Center for Health Equity (LCHE) played a key role in advocating for Medicaid expansion. " We are pleased to see reports of the positive benefits of Medicaid expansion. It is saving lives," said LCHE President Alma Stewart Allen.  Louisiana remains the only state in the Deep South to adopt Medicaid expansion.

As Governor Edwards will be leaving office in 2024, this valuable policy decision impacts the health of all Louisianians including the working poor and is a step forward toward improving Louisiana's overall health outcomes. 
According to the NOLA article, “the average family doesn’t have enough money in the bank to cover minimal deductibles for health care, and vast numbers of Americans carry medical debt, people working at low-wage jobs won’t be able to make it otherwise.”
 
The Louisiana poverty level remains high, and income remains below average. Furthermore, Medicaid expansion increased the likelihood of the working poor along with more rural areas having access to healthcare. The working poor are individuals that work at least 27 weeks a year while falling below the federal poverty line. These individuals are contributing members of society who may not make enough money to have health insurance without this expansion. Not only did the working poor benefit from Medicaid expansion, rural hospitals, clinics, and inner-city medical facilities did as well.
 
For the full article, click here.
 

Newly Released Study of Health Services Delivery and Financing in Baton Rouge Region Reveals Troubling Mortality Trends 

Baton Rouge, LA – In October, the Louisiana Center for Health Equity (LCHE) released “A Study of the Health Services Delivery and Financing in the Baton Rouge Region” in response to Senate Concurrent 32 of the 2021 Louisiana Regular Legislative Session. Originally authorized as House Concurrent Resolution 129 of the 2015 Regular Legislative Session by Senator Regina Barrow, the task force was created to evaluate the region’s healthcare delivery system and make policy recommendations. The study was then continued as Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4 of the 2016 Regular Session and then Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 122 of the 2018 Regular Session. The final extension was, Senate Concurrent Resolution 32 of the 2021 Regular Session, through December 21, 2022.
 
This Report found that East Baton Rouge Parish, the most populated Parish in the Capital Region, has experienced an overall increase in mortality rates since the closure of Earl K. Long Regional Medical Center (EKL). Additionally, from 2007 to 2015, death rates due to suicide increased in East Baton Rouge Parish. This data is concerning not only because of what it reveals about the health and well-being of the people of the Capital Region, but also concerns about significant shifts in Louisiana’s healthcare delivery services over the last ten years. These shifts include the closure of formerly state-operated public charity care (such as Earl K. Long Regional Medical Center), and the privatization of much of the state healthcare system.
 
LCHE has recommended improving the regulation of urgent care facilities and services to better serve residents, a critical analysis of community benefit efforts, increasing access to charity care for low-income and uninsured individuals to improve health outcomes and the Capital Region’s economy, and a
dopting a reparative and justice-oriented approach to healthcare policy.


   

Apply now for Teen Lock In - Louisiana Youth for Excellence (LYFE) - To Focus on Everyday Choices

Baton Rouge, LA – The Louisiana Center for Health Equity (LCHE) is hosting the Louisiana Youth for Excellence (LYFE) Teen Lock-In on Saturday, December 17th from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Teens ages 12 to 18 are encouraged to join Jordan Howard and Alexis Kador as they embark on a journey of learning about LYFE! The Lock-In will be held at the BREC Ben Burge Park (9350 Antigua Dr, Baton Rouge, La 70810).
 
The program is free with lunch and snacks being served. Parental consent and registration are required. Please register here.
 
Expect interactive lessons from a federally funded and approved “Making a Difference” curriculum in a space designed just for teens to learn about

  • Choices, decision-making, dating and sexual risks and more!
  • How to use their voices and become better prepared for life changing experiences.
The day will include engaging conversations and activities where teens are encouraged to express their concerns and explore ways to be safe and make healthy decisions.
 
Don’t miss out! Register
here now.
 

Spotlight

"Examining the Effects of Natural Disasters on Health Resource Availability for Households in Baton Rouge" 
Project Seeking Interviews

The following letter was written by a former Louisiana Center for Health Equity (LCHE) intern, Caroline G. Janecek, a pre-med student at LSU, who is working on her thesis, “Examining the Effects of Natural Disasters on Health Resource Availability for Households in Baton Rouge.” For more details about her project, watch her interview on Today’s Health Topics with Host Alma C. Stewart Allen here. 

Please take a few minutes to read Caroline's letter below and consider contacting her for an interview.

Dear Affiliates of LCHE,
 
My name is Caroline and I used to be an intern at the Louisiana Center for Health Equity. This is my senior year at LSU, and I am working on an honors thesis titled
“Examining the Effects of Natural Disasters on Health Resource Availability for Households in Baton Rouge”. With my thesis I hope to show how health outcomes are correlated to resource availability. I’ll be taking a unique approach by also questioning how natural disasters impact one’s ability to receive health care services. Since Baton Rouge frequently faces the consequences of severe natural disasters, it’s important to understand how these events impact our community. As part of my research, I’m looking to interview people in Baton Rouge about their experiences with healthcare services and resources. Participation in interviews is voluntary and interviews are expected to last 30-60 minutes. Participants need only be adults and live in the metropolitan Baton Rouge area to qualify. If you’re interested in sharing your experience or have any questions, please contact me at cjanec1@lsu.edu.


About Louisiana Center for Health Equity

The Louisiana Center for Health Equity is dedicated to advancing health equity to improve the overall health and well-being of all Louisianans. LCHE works to eliminate health and healthcare disparities attributed to structural, institutional, or social disadvantages. Established in January 2010, LCHE is a statewide nonpartisan nonprofit organization with IRS status as a 501 (C) (3) tax exempt public charity. 

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