Louisiana Department of Health

Louisiana is suspending its temporary assistance program that would provide November funds to most Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients in the state amid the ongoing government shutdown.

A letter from Health Secretary Bruce Greenstein to staff at LDH states that employees will be furloughed without pay for up to 240 hours between November 3 and December 2.

After a whooping cough outbreak killed two infants, Louisiana health officials waited months to officially alert physicians or do public outreach. That's not the typical public health response.

So far this year, Louisiana recorded 368 cases of whooping cough, also called pertussis, as of August 23, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Louisiana’s deadly whooping cough outbreak continues to surge, and it’s doing the most harm to children under the age of 1.

SB 2 proponents presented unfounded links between the levels of fluoride in drinking water and autism, low IQ and thyroid problems at the hearing. The bill is strongly opposed by health experts and dentists.

The health department also plans to review Medicaid patients’ driver’s licenses and use AI to reduce waste and fraud in health care spending, officials said.

Gov. Jeff Landry has appointed Bruce Greenstein, the health secretary under former Gov. Bobby Jindal, to help lead Louisiana’s Department of Health.

Louisiana’s Surgeon General Dr. Ralph Abraham confirmed Thursday that two infants have died in the last six months amid an ongoing whooping cough outbreak in the state, and said vaccines are the best way to protect against infections.

The cuts target mental health and substance use programs, including crisis services, according to Louisiana health officials.