HJNO Nov/Dec 2020

HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS  I  NOV / DEC 2020 43 health plans, our sector has come to the fore of these efforts. At Louisiana Healthcare Connections, for example, a significant percentage of our 480,000 Medicaid members live within the 21 parishes impacted by Laura. For many of our member families, shel- ter became an immediate need, and with COVID-19, our primary objective was providing support to the state’s network of designated shelter sites. In addition to sending basic supplies, including 65,000 bottles of water and personal hygiene items, we distributed thousands of pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) like face masks and hand sanitizers to support safe shelter practices. Through a partnership with Blue Run- ner Foods and Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, we were able to send 360,000 red bean meals to southwest Louisiana. Addition- ally, we expanded our COVID-19 Recov- ery Grants Program to provide financial support for community-based organi- zations working to address hunger and food insecurity among affected families, Stewart T. Gordon, MD, FAAP Chief Medical Officer, Medical Affairs Louisiana Healthcare Connections and we established an emergency relief program to provide 5,000 SDOH support grants for members in the 21-parish re- gion. We worked proactively to ensure un- interrupted care for displaced high-risk members with complex care needs by engaging out-of-state practitioners and opened our 24-hour mental health ho- tline to the public to increase statewide access to behavioral health support from licensed mental health professionals. For our network of healthcare provid- ers in the affected region, we initiated an intensive outreach program to establish contact, update availability information and provide technical support and guid- ance as needed. In addition, we expand- ed our call center operations to include weekend availability to ensure that both our providers and our members had ac- cess to us for personalized assistance. From the moment Laura’s landfall be- came a possibility, we worked proactively to engage our members with education about disaster readiness, including how to prepare for healthcare needs, evacua- tion readiness procedures and generator safety practices. While our hearts go out to those af- fected by the hurricane, we are truly honored to have had the opportunity to be a resource during the recovery pro- cess, and we are proud that so many of our counterparts in the healthcare sector have been engaged in that process along- side us. The camaraderie and teamwork across Louisiana’s healthcare network before, during and after Hurricane Laura has served as a shining example of our state’s resilient, giving spirit. Together, we will recover, and together, we will grow stronger. n SOURCES “COVID Hardship Watch Series: “Tracking the COVID-19 recession’s effects on food, housing and employment hardships.” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Sept. 29, 2020. “Estimating Hurricane Laura’s possible im- pact on the lowest-income renters.” Dan Threet. National Low Income Housing Coalition. Sept. 29, 2020 “Well-Ahead Louisiana: Primary Care HPSAs.” Primary Care and Prevention Services HRSA Data Warehouse. June 19, 2019. “ Through a partnership with Blue Runner Foods and Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana, we were able to send 360,000 red bean meals to southwest Louisiana. ”