Plan outlines four priorities areas and key goals for promoting better health

Baton Rouge, La. (July 17, 2024) — Today, the Louisiana Department of Health launched the Louisiana State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP), a roadmap that outlines four priority areas for improving the health of all Louisianans.

The SHIP is the result of several years of work that included creating a State Health Assessment (SHA) with the input of more than 6,000 Louisiana residents and a comprehensive analysis of current health data and trends. The SHA was used to create four priority areas and key goals within those areas. The SHIP will continue to foster collaboration between the Department and stakeholders to develop strategies to meet these goals and address health disparities and inequities.

The four priority areas and key goals in the SHIP are:

• Behavioral health
  
  • Reduce barriers to behavioral health services
  • Reduce deaths from drug misuse
  • Reduce exposure to adverse childhood experiences
• Community Safety
  
  • Promote healthy and safe environments
  • Improve community readiness and resilience
• Maternal and Child Health
  
  • Improve birth outcomes
  • Improve child and adolescent health
  • Improve maternal health
• Chronic Disease
  
  • Increase access to care
  • Reduce diabetes rate
  • Promote healthy weight
  • Improve cardiovascular health outcomes
  • Reduce cancer rates and improve screenings

“I want to thank all of the Louisiana residents and community leaders who took the time to provide the valuable input that shaped this plan, as well as the Office of Public Health team members who organized the data and marshaled the expertise that went into creating this plan,” LDH Secretary Michael Harrington said. “This is an example of how data can inform action, and it represents a commitment to adopting effective strategies that will improve the health of all Louisiana residents. The plan shows a strong alignment wiht the priorities and key initiatives of the Department. It is also emblematic of what we can achieve when we work together to build consensus around solutions to some of Louisiana’s long-standing challenges.”

The SHIP also outlines a framework for realizing the goals of the plan as various initiatives and programs roll out through 2024. The strategies include:

• Tracking progress through a Dashboard that serves as a shared measurement system allowing residents to track how well health goals are being met.
• Enabling partners to align their efforts to achieve common objectives, resulting in greater impact.
• Enabling continuous communication with partners using multiple communication challenges to collaborate and share progress.
• Providing backbone support: OPH provides resources to organize and support SHIP implementation, including partner coordination, data tracking and communication.

For more information or to get involved, visit www.LouisianaSHIP.com.