HJNO Jan/Feb 2023

LDH 2023 PLAN 24 JAN / FEB 2023 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS  linkages will increase health system refer- rals to effective chronic disease prevention and management programs, including life- style change programs and tobacco cessation programs. Goal 1: Increase CRC screening rates among men and women ages 45-75 enrolled in Medicaid managed care plans and statewide in Louisiana by at least 2%. Strategy: LDH will increase CRC screening rates by 2%, from 39% to 41% for MCO en- rollees and 73% to 75% statewide, with a fo- cus on increasing rates in the three parishes with the lowest screening rates and reducing racial and rural disparities. To do this, LDH will develop and execute a multi-pronged strat- egy that involves robust screening and com- munications campaigns and key partnerships including Medicaid MCOs, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, and Ochsner Health. LDH will also fund the Taking Aim at Cancer in Loui- siana (TACL) and Louisiana Cancer Program (LCP)-led Learning Collaborative, a 12-month learning initiative with primary care practices that provides opportunities for skills- based learning and information exchange. The De- partment will work with partners, including Taking Aim at Cancer in Louisiana (TACL), Louisiana Cancer Research Center (LCRC) and Louisiana’s Cancer Program (LCP) initiatives - Healthy Communities Coalitions and the Loui- siana Colorectal Cancer Roundtable, to iden- tify and remove barriers and raise awareness in communities throughout the state. Goal 2: Increase the number of participants screened for cardiovascular disease, blood pressure, and diabetes at community-based events. Strategy: Establish partnerships between healthcare providers and community-based organizations to improve chronic disease prevention, care, and management. LDH’s Well-Ahead Louisiana program selects com- munities for blood pressure monitoring pro- gram development based on data analysis for chronic disease prevalence and related health disparities. In FY22, Well-Ahead established 10 com- munity-based blood pressure monitoring and 6 diabetes prevention programs in Regions 4, 6, 7, and 8. Within these community-based blood pressure programs, 112 individuals were screened and 34 referrals were made to primary care; within the diabetes prevention programs, 90 individuals were screened and enrolled. In FY23, Well-Ahead will work with those sites and additional community part- ners and provide resources and support to increase the number of individuals screened at community-based blood pressure monitor- ing sites and enrolled in diabetes prevention programs. Goal 3: Increase the use of best practices for the early detection of cardiovascular disease by rural health providers by 20%. Strategy: Well-Ahead and the Population Health Cohort will assist Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and/or Rural Health Clinics (RHCs) in implementing evidence- based strategies to prevent and control car- diovascular disease. The Population Health Cohort is an exclusive collaborative quality improvement opportunity which supports the implementation of strategies aimed at im- proving population health within a primary care setting, with a specific focus on chronic disease related outcomes. The Department will provide education to clinic staff to imple- ment and manage improvement strategies and monitor clinic progress. The American Heart Association and American Medical As- sociation’s Target: BP Gold status recognition, awarded to practices that have achieved tar- geted hypertension control (70% of clinics’ adult patient population with controlled high blood pressure) is considered the measure for best practice. Three of the existing 18 Popu- lation Health Cohort clinics have successful- ly achieved Gold status. The technical assis- tance these clinics receive will assist them in addressing identified cardiovascular health disparities to improve health outcomes across the clinics’ patient population. Goal 4: Increase the number of Louisiana childcare centers and schools engaged in childhood obesity prevention centers activities by 20 locations. Strategy: Well-Ahead regional represen- tatives will work with childcare centers and school “WellSpots” to implement nutrition and physical activity wellness benchmarks. Benchmarks include evidence-based prac- tices and programs such as outdoor play and learning standards, nutrition standards, or Commitment 1 / Initiative 2 / Goal 1 (cont.) Commitment 1 / Initiative 2 / Goal 2 Commitment 1 / Initiative 2 / Goal 3 Commitment 1 / Initiative 2 / Goal 4 Commitment 1 / Initiative 2 / Goal 5 Commitment 1 / Initiative 2 / Goal 6