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New Orleans – The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and its state and local partners will hold a news conference on Friday, Feb. 1 at 11 a.m. to announce the opening of a temporary urgent care clinic in New Orleans to provide medical support during Mardi Gras.
Baton Rouge – Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco and the Department of Health and Hospitals today announced the latest round of payments that are set to go out to hospitals that cared for uninsured patients last year.
New Orleans – Thanks to ongoing funding from the Primary Care Access and Stabilization Grant (PCASG) program, people in the Greater New Orleans area will soon have more convenient, local access to primary health care, mental health treatment and counseling, HIV/AIDS treatment and counseling and other health services.
Baton Rouge – Oyster harvesting waters in West Karako Bay near St. Bernard Parish that were closed on Dec. 21 are being reopened.
A national health organization says Louisiana is better prepared for a health emergency than ever before. In its fifth annual report, “Trust for America’s Health” gives Louisiana an eight out of 10 overall for emergency preparedness. This is a significant improvement from last year’s score when the state only achieved six out of 10 standards for emergency readiness.
The Department of Health and Hospitals – Office of Public Health is now making the flu vaccine available to anyone, regardless of their likelihood for catching the flu this season.
Louisiana’s vaccine supply has been affected by the recent voluntary recall of 10 lots of Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) vaccine and two lots of a combination Hib and Hepatitis B vaccine. The children’s vaccine is being recalled as a preventive measure because the manufacturing company, Merck, cannot assure sterility for the lots involved.
It is now easier and more convenient for citizens of Orleans Parish to receive preventive health care services with the opening of a parish health unit in the city. Located at 3308 Tulane Avenue, the newest health unit is at the site of the former Orleans Women’s Clinic that was devastated by hurricane Katrina.
This week is National Influenza Vaccination Week, and to provide free flu shots to citizens, the Calcasieu Medical Reserve Corps is sponsoring flu vaccine clinics at several locations in Calcasieu Parish.
More people will be tested for HIV in the upcoming year due to a $1.4 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The grant is designed to increase testing among populations disproportionately affected by HIV, primarily African Americans.
Louisiana continues to rank in the top 15 states in reported cases of three nationally-notifiable sexually transmitted diseases -- syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia.