Over the next five years rural health reform in Louisiana will receive $208 million dollars each year in federal funding. Governor Jeff Landry recently held a news conference where he announced the signing of an executive order to create the Office of Rural Health Transformation and Sustainability within the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) to implement the program.
As Louisiana Public Radio reports, the money is aimed at improving rural health outcomes. The office wants to make healthcare more accessible for the 1.1 million Louisianans who live in rural areas. LDH Secretary Bruce Greenstein says the disease burden of diabetes and congestive heart failure is greater in rural areas. He also points to higher cancer death rates. ”Our goal is by the end of this, is to take away the uneven playing field that residents of rural communities have with regard to their health outcomes compared to those in urban and suburban areas.”
The executive order also establishes the Rural Health Transformation Program Advisory Council to help manage and disperse those funds. Greenstein says they are looking to expand incentives to entice more physicians to work in rural areas. They also want to expand and modernize telehealth options.
Louisiana health officials say 73% of state residents live in what they characterize as a Primary Care Health Professional Shortage Area, while 93% live in a Mental Health Professional Shortage Area, and 86% for Dental Health Professionals.
A Million Louisiana Resident to Benefit from $1 Billion in Rural Health Upgrades
