Health beat

  • Last year, the Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation and Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu partnered in starting a health care program to help cultural (music, film, literary and historic preservation, and culinary, performing and visual arts) workers access affordable medical care.

Through the Louisiana Cultural Economy Healthcare Initiative, cultural workers can visit a participating doctor or dentist in their area who accepts payment on a sliding scale (often only $30 to $35 for an office visit) or who works pro-bono. Since most of the LCEHI clinics have an in-house pharmacy, prescriptions too are reduced or discounted (often costing only $4 to $8).
If a chronic illness is discovered, LCEHI has a liaison at Louisiana State University Health Science Center Network that can help patients find the right doctor and schedule an appointment without having to wait in the emergency room.
The program is much like the New Orleans Musicians Clinic, but expanded to all cultural workers, Healthcare Initiative Director Kathy Richard says. “It’s the same mission of trying to keep our culture alive and well.”
LCEHI’s goal, Richard says, is preventative primary care. For more information call (337) 233-7060 or visit culturaleconomy.org.

  • Ochsner Health System and LSU Health Sciences Center are forming a partnership to make it easier for local residents to access cancer care. The partnership entails the two institutions sharing physicians, diagnoses, patients and facilities. The two health systems operators hope that, in addition to providing expedient and accurate healthcare, the partnership will fuel research development. Whereas Ochsner is the state’s largest hospital, LSU is known for is best known for possessing a large-scale medical research. Together, the two hope to provide more comprehensive cancer research and treatment.
  • LSU Health Sciences Center’s Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center has won the Harry Hynes Award from the National Cancer Institute for “outstanding commitment to clinical oncology research in communities.” LSUHSC won the award for its post-Katrina work with cancer patients.

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