HJNO Jul/Aug 2023

40 JUL / AUG 2023  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF NEW ORLEANS   Healthcare Briefs address these issues for everyone?” As a concept, social determinants of health is a relatively new framework being emphasized by CDC’s Healthy People 2030 initiative. Going forward, Bundy hopes the concept gains more traction and that policymakers use these findings to address the race-based mortality gap. “These social determinants of health are the foundation of health problems,” Bundy said. “They need to be a top priority going forward and it’s going to take policy, research and a multi- disciplinary approach to tackle these issues.” LDHReleases Final Water Grades for 951 LAWater Systems The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) released final water grades for 951 community water systems across the state, a process that creates accountability for water systems and pro- vides transparency for water system customers. The final water grades follow preliminary grades that were published in January. The preliminary grades may not have included data for financial sustainability, customer satisfaction, or bonus points awarded to a water system. The new data included in calculating the final grades will mean letter grade changes for some water systems. Going forward, water system grades will be published annually on May 1. The LDH water grades page can be found at ldh.la.gov/watergrade. Tulane University Launches Institute to Bolster Pandemic Readiness Tulane University announced its new Biocon- tainment Institute to serve as a national and inter- national training hub for pandemic readiness and response. The Tulane University Biocontainment Institute will provide full-scale training and instruction for biosafety professionals seeking to develop spe- cialized research programs for pathogens requir- ing high levels of biocontainment, helping to develop and ready a workforce for the next pub- lic health emergency. The institute, offered in partnership with the Tulane National Primate Research Center (TNPRC), will mark the primate center’s first offer- ing of classroom-based education and training, with virtual course offerings the first year and classroom-hybrid offerings in subsequent years. CIS NamedMillion Hearts Hypertension Control Champion Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) has been named a Million Hearts Hypertension Con- trol Champion by Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for achieving more than 80% con- trol rates in adult hypertensive patients. To earn this recognition, CIS submitted blood pressure data for patients with hypertensive diagnoses to demonstrate controlled blood pressure over a period of two years. From this data, patients with controlled blood pressure were selected at random for a medical review by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and CDC. CIS achieved blood pressure readings below 140 mmHg/90 mmHg among 80% of its hypertensive patients ages 18–85 years. LA Reps Participate in Listening Session withWhite House Office of National AIDS Policy More than 80 public health professionals and community members from New Orleans and sur- rounding parishes, Baton Rouge, and the State of Louisiana gathered with members of the White House Office of National AIDS Policy to share plans, challenges, and successes in their work to end the HIV epidemic. Staff with the New Orleans Health Department and its Ryan White Services and Resources division presented details of the recently launched HIV Care program in a listening session with the White House Office of National AIDS Policy Director Harold Phillips and staff members; the session was held at the University Medical Center. The new HIV Care program, Centralized Link- age, provides for people living with HIV to call or text 504-884-3307 seven days a week to access free or low-cost HIV primary care appointments and support services, regardless of whether they have insurance. “The Centralized Linkage pro- gram is another strong example that we are using all tools available to provide our citizens the best HIV care and support,” said Vatsana Chanthala, director of Ryan White Services and Resources. “We are grateful for the support of the White House, federal partners, and local stakeholders for the funding and collaboration that allows us to provide these services.” The Centralized Linkage program, one of the components of the Bounce to Zero campaign to end the HIV epidemic, went live earlier this year; the program features a call or text option staffed by service coordinators who connect persons with HIV with a comprehensive suite of resources to manage an HIV diagnosis including primary care appointments and assistance with transportation, medication, housing, and insurance. A Centralized Linkage Coordinator works with individuals to connect them to HIV care pro- viders. The phone line is available to both cli- ents and providers. The “Bounce to Zero” cam- paign is the local implementation of the national effort of Ending the HIV Epidemic by reducing the number of new HIV infections in the U.S. by 95% by 2030. It is coordinated by Ryan White Ser- vices and Resources of the New Orleans Health Department. The New Orleans metro area has the highest number of HIV cases in Louisiana and was identi- fied as one of 57 priority jurisdictions in the fed- eral effort of ending the HIV epidemic in the U.S. by 2030. According to the Louisiana Department of Health, there are 8,642 persons living with HIV in the New Orleans metro area, which rep- resents 38% of the State’s HIV cases. The eight parishes benefiting from the Bounce to Zero campaign have the highest cases of persons liv- ing with HIV in Louisiana. Nationwide, approxi- mately 1.2 million people are living with HIV. An estimated 38,000 Americans are newly diagnosed each year. While the overall number of new inflec- tions has dropped by 73% between 1984 and 2019, progress to further reduce those numbers has stalled. Without intervention, nearly 400,000 more Americans will be newly diagnosed over 10 years, despite the availability of tools to prevent transmissions. Study Finds Diet Contributes to Risk of HPV-Related Cancer A study conducted by LSU Health New Orleans’ Schools of Public Health and Medicine faculty reports that diet contributes to HPV infection leading to cervical cancer. Results are published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases .