Rural Health Workshop Day 2: Wednesday, June 12

• Denaé Hebert, MBA, Executive Director, Louisiana Rural Health Association
• Nicole Coarsey, MPA, Louisiana State Rural Health Officer, Well-Ahead Louisiana

• Catherine Snow, MHA, MS, Outreach Specialist, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

CMS will provide updates on current policies and resources.  Topics to be discussed include Health Equity, Inflation Reduction Act, and Hospital Price Transparency.

• Gladys Campbell, Director of Education, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) New Orleans
• Maria Alexander, Program Manager/Mental Health First Aid Instructor, Metropolitan Human Services District
• Reagan Carmena, MPH, CHES, Convening Coordinator – Capacity Building, Louisiana Public Health Institute

Get ready to learn about how Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) can help you bridge the gap in mental health and substance use disorder awareness. Hear from instructors about their firsthand experience using the skills taught during MHFA training and why they stand behind MHFA. Discover how MHFA can help you, your staff, and your community.

• Katherine Seals, Healthy Communities High Obesity Program Evaluator, LSU AgCenter

In 2018, the LSU AgCenter entered into a 5-year cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to address the nutrition and physical activity environments in six rural Louisiana parishes with obesity rates over 40%. Through the LSU AgCenter’s Cooperative Extension Healthy Communities initiative, multi-level, community-driven approaches were utilized to identify and implement Policy, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) change strategies to promote healthy behaviors among residents and improve health outcomes. As a result, over 30,000 people were potentially impacted through improvements to new or enhanced places providing food access. Eleven community sites implemented healthy nutrition standards to improve the healthfulness of food served and distributed with 7,752 people potentially impacted.  Approximately 32 miles of pedestrian routes and 24 miles of bike routes were addressed through new and improved policies and plans adopted by local rural leadership with 25,000 people impacted by future improvements. Over 4.8 million dollars of funding were leveraged through outside funding, partner contributions, and volunteer labor. 

• Heather Arrington, Managing Member, Sullivan Stolier Schulze, LLC
• Michael Schulze, Managing Member, Sullivan Stolier Schulze, LLC

The investigations, prosecutions, settlements, and other enforcement actions announced almost every day by the U.S. Department of Justice, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), and Louisiana Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCU) make it clear that every provider participating in Medicare and Medicaid needs to implement and follow an effective compliance plan.  One of the most important components of a compliance plan is the provider’s Code of Conduct.

• Heidi Raines, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Performance Health Partners

In today’s healthcare safety programs, there’s a pronounced shift toward prevention, mirroring the proactive approach we’ve embraced for disease prevention. Progressive organizations are championing the ‘Near Miss/Good Catch’ program as a cornerstone for proactive risk identification and prevention. By empowering staff to report close calls, these programs ensure both patient and employee safety. This strategy promises not only safer care but also improved outcomes and cost reductions.

• Jon W Mares, DO, Nephrologist and Medical Director, Bayer Pharmaceuticals

PowerPoint presentation focusing on Early and Accurate Diagnosis of CKD associated with T2D. Topics that will be covered include the importance of UACR and eGFR testing for improved earlier diagnosis, guideline updates on screening and monitoring, use of the CKD Heat Map to help risk stratify and educate patients about disease state, CV risks associated with albuminuria and CKD, and an overview of treatment using a pillared approach to care.

• Holly Howat, Ph.D., Founder and Executive Director, Beacon Community Connections

Social determinants of health are becoming an integral part of patient care for rural healthcare providers. There is an overwhelming amount of information to synthesize and multiple opportunities to consider surrounding social determinants of health and health equity. This session will give you the knowledge, skills, and tools to confidently move forward with improving the health outcomes of patients by addressing social determinants of health and improving health equity. Information will include understanding terminology, guiding principles, and effective decision-making tools. Guidance on new social care billing codes and how to incorporate them into patient care will be provided.

• Peyton Fisher, Delta Region Rural Health Workforce Program Project Director, Louisiana Primary Care Association

The Delta Region Rural Health Workforce Training Program addresses the ongoing need in healthcare facilities for trained administrative support professionals in rural communities through the development of networks that support recruitment, formal training, social needs, certification, and placement of students. This program aims to provide training and pathways to professional certifications to current administrative support professionals working in rural DRA region healthcare facilities as well as new entrants to the workforce and dislocated workers. Eligible parishes are: Ascension, Avoyelles, East Baton Rouge, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Vernon, West Baton Rouge, West Feliciana and Winn.

• Claudia Wade, Director of Community Development and Grant Management, Union General Hospital

Join us in exploring the impactful initiative led by Union General Hospital (UGH) in Union Parish, Louisiana, known as “It’s a Girl Thing: Making Proud Choices.” This program tackles critical issues surrounding teen pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases (STIs), and HIV within rural communities. Discover how this program, originating from a Community Health Needs Assessment, has evolved to become a beacon of hope and empowerment for 6th through 12th-grade girls. Learn about the comprehensive range of services offered, the remarkable outcomes achieved, and the well-deserved recognition received. This presentation celebrates the dedication, success, and impact of empowering youth to make proud choices for their sexual health and overall well-being.

• Taylor Cottano, Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Southern EVALS

Prepare for an electrifying journey as we dismantle age-old myths surrounding the business of healthcare!

1. Busting Healthcare Myths: We start by digesting how our parents taught us all wrong about business, especially the business of healthcare. We Dive into age old concepts, unravel the misconceptions that have held you back, and ignite a pathway to explosive growth.
2. Masters of the New Generation: The heartbeat of your organization lies with the fresh faces of the new generation of staff. But do you truly understand their rhythm? Get ready to uncover game-changing insights on communication dynamics and strategies to ensure they are not just present, but truly engaged and firing on all cylinders!
3. Technological Triumphs: In the digital age, technology isn’t just an option, it’s your competitive edge! Harness its raw power to catapult consistency and efficiency in your organization to new dimensions. Make the machines work for you and witness a transformation like never before!

• Julie Knight, MS, MBA, Healthy Communities Manager, Alzheimer’s & Dementia, Well-Ahead Louisiana
• Anne Foundas, M.D., Executive Director, Brain Institute of Louisiana

This presentation will provide an update on Louisiana’s response to the increasing incidence of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias (ADRD) diagnosed in Louisiana and the state’s response. The Louisiana Alzheimer’s Coalition has developed the 5-year strategic plan on ADRD to set statewide priorities in the areas of engaging & educating the public, providing a skilled & diverse workforce, policies and partnerships, and data measurement and utilization.

• Ashley Orphe, MPA, Chief Executive Officer, Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center
• Taffy Morrison, Resource Development & Analyst Specialist, Southwest Louisiana Area Health Education Center

The implementation of a multi-disciplinary evidence-based outreach approach has resulted in Louisiana ranking 2nd in the nation for increased Marketplace enrollment coverage. This session will discuss how leveraging state, public health, clinical and federally funded resources address the health disparities related to health insurance coverage in the midst of unprecedented Medicaid coverage terminations.

• Anjanette Hebert, CHPA, Vice President, Healthcare, PalAmerican Security
• Carloine Stegeman, RN, BSN, MJ, ONC, CPHRM, CPSO, Director of Patient Safety, LHA Trust Funds

Meaningful collaboration between security, clinical staff and healthcare partners can be effective in improving the overall culture of patient & staff safety and promote positive public perceptions of healthcare organizations. When we strategically identify, include, and collaborate with clinical and other stakeholders in the facility security risk assessments, training and equipment deployment, investigations and other functions are strengthened and hardwired. Collaboration fosters the connection and understanding of the “why” driving each stakeholder’s positions, expectations, and actions.

• Matthew Seaton, Community Programs Director, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Louisiana Rural Development

This presentation will review the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development program resources and information on getting assistance to develop essential community infrastructure.

• Catherine Snow, MHA, MS, Outreach Specialist, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Dallas Regional Office

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is hosting this listening session with rural providers to gather information on advancing health equity. How can we reduce health disparities amongst rural populations and increase access to care in rural areas?

• Denaé Hebert, MBA, Executive Director, Louisiana Rural Health Association
• Nicole Coarsey, MPA, Louisiana State Rural Health Officer, Well-Ahead Louisiana