Historically, Louisiana has struggled to improve its outcomes in education, incarceration, and health. A new report released today by the Louisiana Center for Health Equity (LCHE) offers a glimpse into how the state has consistently ranked low, usually 49th or 50th in overall health outcomes and how the COVID 19 pandemic has highlighted alarming health disparities in Louisiana, and the increasing urgency for more equitable systemic practices and policies. The consequences of COVID-19 demand an immediate and appropriate response that centers and prioritizes the expertise and experiences of disadvantaged populations in decision-making processes.

Since its establishment in 2010, LCHE has been committed to bringing health equity throughout Louisiana by dismantling health disparities in the state caused by poverty, lack of access to quality health care and unhealthy environmental conditions. To continue its effort and further address these issues LCHE, in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Health-Office of Public Health and Pennington Biomedical Research Center, held its 5th annual Health Summit on March 3rd. Topics discussed during the summit included the progress and accomplishments of the current State Health Improvement Plan; key health indicators to move the needle toward improving Louisiana’s national health ranking; policies to reduce Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs); and school health and education best practices to reduce disparities in education outcomes. The 2020 Health Summit: Advancing Health Equity for Children and Families report provides a summary of the summit and policy recommendations for improving Louisiana’s health outcomes.

The report details four recommendations for policy to improve health outcomes for women, children, and families. 

• Set a state minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage
• Implement trauma-informed approaches and services for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
• Establish a state-run entity to coordinate a systematic approach to women’s health, such as an Office on Women’s Health
• Prioritize and adopt key America’s Health Rankings’ health measures as policy

 
These policies will directly and positively impact the state’s overall national standing according to America’s Health Rankings, and so will advance the state toward #LA40by2030, improving Louisiana’s rank to 40th by 2030.
 
“LCHE is celebrating our ten-year anniversary as we look toward the future; earlier this year we announced a bold vision for the next decade, namely #LA40by2030,” said Alma C. Stewart, president and founder of LCHE. “We are grateful for our role in Medicaid expansion that resulted in the vast majority of our uninsured residents being afforded health insurance coverage. While Medicaid expansion has had a significant impact on equitable access to healthcare, LCHE is committed to staying the course and working with our partners to help improve the state’s health outcomes and overall health rankings over the next decade,” says Stewart.

About Louisiana Center for Health Equity
Louisiana Center for Health Equity (LCHE) works to address the increasing disparities in health and health care across Louisiana. LCHE represents the interest of health equity by promoting the elimination of health disparities caused by poverty, lack of access to quality health care and unhealthy environmental conditions with a focus on wellness and community health. LCHE is a statewide nonpartisan nonprofit organization with IRS status as a 501(C)(3) tax exempt public charity established in January 2010. LCHE is independently governed by a Board of Directors with a unique approach to improving community health through service to and for the people of Louisiana.
 
#LA40by2030
The declaration of #LA40by2030 marks the commemoration of LCHE’s ten-year anniversary. Through collaboration, education and advocacy for effective and proven programs and policy, LCHE has positively impacted the health care system both regionally and statewide. LCHE’s most notable achievement was the successful campaign to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Campaign for Healthcare for Everyone – Louisiana was organized by LCHE in 2013, and steered efforts to close the coverage gap by allowing low income, mostly working adults to obtain healthcare insurance through Medicaid expansion as authorized by the ACA. Through the campaign, LCHE collaborated with a diverse group of organizations and led the fight to expand access to healthcare for all Louisianans. On January 12, 2016, newly elected Governor John Bel Edwards signed an executive order expanding Medicaid in Louisiana. As LCHE looks toward the next decade, plans are underway for continuing collaboration with our partners and we invite those interested to join us and add your support.

THE NEWS STAR | The Children’s Coalition for Northeast Louisiana is expanding their suicide prevention program to middle school students with a $10,000 grant from the Junior League of Monroe. For more than 15 years, the Coalition has implemented the SOS: Signs of Suicide program — a nationally recognized curriculum that includes education for caregivers and teachers about the signs of depression in young people and ways to seek help.

​Members of the Junior League of Monroe voted to give grant funds to the Coalition to support the mental health of middle school students and to expand the SOS program to five schools this fall.

In the United States, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death. Crisis will affect families and children everywhere — whether from direct COVID-19 exposure or economic hardships caused by the pandemic. Resources such as this one will help families learn the signs, make a plan, and access screenings.

​The Children’s Coalition Youth Development Coordinator Jan Daniels said, “We love the support of our own community members — they are helping us give our students the tools to ensure they are not only physically safe but mentally healthy. We must support them now more than ever.”

Lauren Traweek Voorhees, president of the Junior League of Monroe said, “The Junior League of Monroe started the Endowment Grant in 2005 to support programs in need throughout our community each year. Our members are beyond thrilled to partner with The Children’s Coalition to expand the SOS program. Our focus being, women and children at risk, it seems more than fitting to assist with this mission in a time like this.  We love being able to give back in such an impactful way and look forward to being involved in this incredible program!”

​Parents, caregivers and professionals can find more information about the Children’s Coalition, including the SOS program at childrenscoalition.org or by calling 318-323-8775.

Love146 Not a #Number is a national program affiliated with the Children's Coalition.

These days, everyone’s taking serious steps to keep you safe from getting (or spreading) this crazy new virus, and you’re not even really supposed to leave your house. So you’re spending a lot more time online: hanging out with friends, listening to music, watching videos, gaming, even doing a little schoolwork, waiting for all this to blow over. Just like in real life, there’s good stuff and bad stuff that can happen to you on the Internet. And just like with COVID-19, you can take steps to protect yourself.

Here’s the deal: there are creeps out there who are looking to take advantage of people (and they’re spending more time online right now, too). They may pretend to be your age and act like they’re your friend. They might ask you to send pics. You might reveal something private to them — only to have them threaten to share what you told them unless you do what they want. (This happens. It’s real. It’s called “sextortion.”) They may even want to meet up with you. It could seem cool at first, and then things can turn bad. Bottom line: If you’re under 18, and someone gives you something in exchange for anything sexual, that’s trafficking. We work with a lot of youth who met their traffickers online, many on Facebook, even. 

​UNION PARISH, La. (KNOE) - Officials in Union and Lincoln Parishes and Louisiana Tech are looking to bring a new youth program to northeast Louisiana. Police Athletics Community Engagement (PACE) started as a free athletic league to teach kids in inner-city neighborhoods in Omaha, Neb. core values and build relationships with them.

(Source: KNOE)Louisiana Tech kinesiology dept. chair David Szymanski and other organizers are meeting with local law enforcement officers, pastors and other community leaders to introduce them to PACE.

"Everybody wants to help their children or the youth in the communities, and this program, I believe, is a way in which we can accomplish that," Szymanski says.

PACE founder Antonio Espejo with the Omaha Police Department says it's helped build relationships with his department and the community. "A lot of officers coach the teams. We also have a lot of community partners that help coach with these teams, and it's just instilling values a lot of these kids don't have," Espejo says.
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Mary Barrios says that program will be beneficial to kids here in northeast Louisiana. "It's important to not only tell kids not to do drugs, but to do other things in its place,” says Barrios, healthy living coordinator for the Children’s Coalition. “Positive, prosocial activities they can do that will keep them out of trouble and keep them from thinking about drugs."

Bayou Life Magazine | ​A life-threatening condition known simply as "vaping illness" has appeared across the U.S., with over 200 cases reported this summer. In Louisiana, the state Department of Health confirmed there are 32 reported cases and 2 deaths related to vaping as of December, 2019. The state-level data comes amid recent reports that otherwise healthy teens and young adults who vape are suffering from lung problems and other issues nationally. Although vaping illness is the latest negative outcome of vaping, the highest risk to our children still comes from addiction to nicotine. One JUUL pod contains the same nicotine as a pack of cigarettes. A JUUL pod is advertised to be used in a single day, and statistics support that is about how frequently users change the pods. 

​To read the full article, click the link below.