Rural Health Workshop Day 3: Thursday, June 13

Agenda for Day 3

This year’s Rural Health Workshop agenda is packed full of speakers from the state and national level covering a variety of topics including mental and behavioral health, maternal and child health, regulatory risk prevention, telehealth and more! Take a look at the Rural Health Workshop schedule for each day and start planning your sessions.


Breakfast with Exhibitors

7:00-8:00 a.m.


Plenary Session

8:00-8:15 a.m.

Welcome Back

Room: Bourbeau Grand Ballroom

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

    Welcome back comments from Well-Ahead Louisiana and Louisiana Rural Health Association

8:15-9:00 a.m.

Louisiana State Legislative Updates

Room: Bourbeau Grand Ballroom

  • Session Speakers
    • Nicole Coarsey, MPA, Deputy Director of Programs, LDH/OPH/BCDPHA/Well-Ahead Louisiana
    • Zach Snyder, JD, MPA, Policy Analyst, Louisiana Rural Health Association
  • Session Description

    Policies enacted at the state level can have a major impact on the operations of rural health care providers and how providers serve patients in rural areas across the state. In this session, Zach Snyder, Policy Analyst with Louisiana Rural Health Association, and Nicole Corsey, Division Manager at Well-Ahead Louisiana, will walk through major policy that impacts rural health introduced in the 2024 legislation session as well as future implementation issues.

9:00-9:30 a.m.

Louisiana Licensing Updates

Room: Bourbeau Grand Ballroom

  • Session Speakers
    • Libby Gonzales, RN, BSN, Medical Certification Program Manager, Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), Health Standards Section
  • Session Description

    The presentation provides an overview of the initial licensing and certification process for RHCs in Louisiana as well as discussing common issues encountered by Rural Health Clinics.

9:30-10:00 a.m.

Health Professional Shortage Area Update

Room: Bourbeau Grand Ballroom

  • Session Speakers
    • Beth Butler, HPSA Program Manager, Well-Ahead Louisiana
  • Session Description

    This presentation will provide updates on everything going on with Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs) and a short message about State Loan Repayment Program and Louisiana Physician Loan Repayment Program.

Break with Exhibitors

10:00-10:30 a.m.


10:30-11:15 a.m.

The Opioid Epidemic

Room: Bourbeau Grand Ballroom

  • Session Speaker
    • William “Beau” Clark, M.D., D-ABMDI, Coroner, East Baton Rouge Parish
  • Session Description

    Fatal overdoses in Louisiana have spiked in the last decade, with heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioids accounting for the vast majority of these deaths. Dr. William “Beau” Clark (East Baton Rouge Coroner) discusses this epidemic and shares potential solutions.

11:15 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Workshop Closing

Room: Grand IV

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

    Closing comments from Well-Ahead Louisiana and Louisiana Rural Health Association