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Due to damage caused by Hurricane Katrina, the Department of Health and Hospitals’ offices for Vital Records and Health Statistics has relocated to Metairie, LA. Citizens seeking information about birth and death certificates can reach Vital Records by calling any of the telephone numbers listed below.
Recovered Bodies – At this time, state officials, working in conjunction with coroners from local parishes, have recovered 1,101 bodies. This is an increase from 1,100 recovered bodies reported on Jan. 4, 2006.
Please click here to read the press release Louisiana State Police distributed announcing the arrival of genetics experts at the Hurricane Family Assistance Center.
Louisiana has been nationally recognized as having achieved the highest rate of infants who have been vaccinated for Hepatitis B by 6 - 8 months.
Recovered Bodies – At this time, state officials, working in conjunction with coroners from local parishes, have recovered 1,100 bodies. This is an increase from 1,096 recovered bodies reported on Dec. 21, 2005.
Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco issued Executive Order 2005-33 to allow out-of-state doctors and other licensed medical professionals to provide emergency services to patients. The Executive Order was renewed several times and is now set to expire on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2005. In anticipation of this expiration date, the Department of Health and Hospitals worked with various professional boards to develop an expedited process for a temporary “permission to practice.”
Using dental records, fingerprints and medical records while working with families to discover unique characteristics and analyzing personal effects, forensic experts at the Victim Identification Center in Carville, Louisiana continue to discover the identities of Louisiana citizens who died during Hurricane Katrina. In addition, officials with the Louisiana State Police and the Victim Identification Center in Carville learned today of the first DNA match and subsequent identification since special DNA contracts were signed in December.
At the Find Family National Call Center in Baton Rouge, the steady hum of office work is interrupted almost five times every hour by the ringing of a bell. This bell signifies that a person who had been reported missing following Hurricane Katrina has been found alive.
Please click here to see the press release the International Commission on Missing Persons released on its work to identify Katrina victims.
The Department of Health and Hospitals announces the expansion of oyster harvesting in the Lower Calcasieu Lake Conditional Management Area, effective Dec. 26, 2005.
Recovered Bodies – At this time, state officials, working in conjunction with coroners from local parishes, have recovered 1,096 bodies. This is an increase from 1,095 recovered bodies reported on Dec. 16, 2005.
Please click here to see the news advisory for FEMA's press event on assisting the state with identifying disinterred remains after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.