The Healthy State by 2030 initiative emerged in 2020. The goal of the initiative is to improve access to healthcare in Louisiana through community engagement and by partnering with organizations across different sectors (healthcare, business, religion, education, government, and education). The program also includes a focus on collecting, analyzing, and sharing health data. The program’s priorities are to reduce smoking cessation (with 214,000 fewer residents smoking by 2030); improve access to care for cancer and other chronic conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure through screenings (aiming for 100,000 fewer residents with chronic conditions by 2030); reduce obesity rates (with 182,000 “more physically active adults” by 2030); reduce rates of food insecurity (helping 72,000 more households gain access to healthy food); improve per-capita income levels (by $4,838); and improve access to high-speed internet (with 86,000 more homes having access).
This initiative is focused on improving health by improving “the conditions in which we are born, live, and work,” in the words of Dr. Eboni Price-Haywood, the medical director of the Healthy State 2030 Initiative and the Oschner Xavier Institute for Health Equity and Research. However, the projects that have been highlighted under this initiative seem to largely consist of expanding Oschners’ service delivery footprint. Ochsner’s expansion has been welcomed by communities that have long struggled to access care, but this form of intervention is limited in addressing broader structural drivers of health.
One of the largest investments of Health States has revolved around the opening of five new health centers (in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Monroe, and Shreveport). The health centers are framed as addressing health equity because they are “strategically located in areas of the state with high instances of chronic conditions, low birth weights, infant mortality, and early adult mortality” (Mcelfresh np, 2022). In addition to healthcare services, the centers offer resources for smoking cessation, diabetes management, and “social issues” that include transportation and food insecurity. Each center has an advisory council that includes patients, elected officials, businesspeople, and community members.
In 2023, Oschner’s executive leadership announced their commitment to the Global Health Network (GHEN) Zero Health Gaps Pledge. This initiative falls under the UN Sustainable Development Goals and has been described as a part of Healthy State.
Ochsner Health. N.d. "Healthy State." https://www.ochsner.org/healthystate.
Oschner Health. N.d. “Ochsner Health Pledges Zero Health Gaps for World Health Day.” Accessed February 28, 2024. https://www.newswise.com/articles/ochsner-health-pledges-zero-health-gaps-for-world-health-day.
McElfresh, Amanda. 2022. “Ochsner’s Healthy State 2030 Uses Community-First Approach to Improve Life for Louisianans.” NOLA.Com. August 7, 2022. https://www.nola.com/sponsored/cox_business/ochsner-s-healthy-state-2030-uses-community-first-approach-to-improve-life-for-louisianans/article_cfb1a366-1345-11ed-bfdf-33daaec76946.html.
Louisiana Clinical Data Research Network (LACDRN) is a collaborative project between the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI), Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Tulane University, and Ochsner Health System. The network provides warehouses of clinical data available to clinical and health systems researchers: “representing a state and region that has unique health challenges related to disparities, natural disasters, high prevalence of chronic diseases, and some rare conditions, LACDRN is an important resource for clinical and health system research that will advance evidence-based diagnosis, treatment, disease management, and healthcare delivery” (Kurshid et al. 2014, 612).
Khurshid, Anjum, Elizabeth Nauman, Tom Carton, and Ron Horswell. 2014. “Louisiana Clinical Data Research Network: Establishing an Infrastructure for Efficient Conduct of Clinical Research.” Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA 21 (4): 612–14. https://doi.org/10.1136/amiajnl-2014-002740.
CITIZEN SCIENCE
Epistemic negotiation
Stakeholders (indigenous groups, activist, scientist, scholars, etc)
* Structural - Local Universities, Marie Curie, EU Comission, States
* internationally connected climate activism (Last Generation/Fridays for Future), permaculture movments/farms, "green" star-ups, local farmers
Pödelwitz is an activist initiative in the central german coal district, which is located in a village which was supposed to be evacuated for a planned expansion of a neighboring coal mine. After successfully resisting this expansion, the activists now promote social-ecological transformation in the village and the wider region. I will collaborate with them as part of my project in C-urge to study the role of justice in such transformations. Thereby we hope to arrive at an understanding of justice that is not opposed to urgent societal transformation in light of climate change, but a means of achieving this.
~10 PhD students across multiple institutions are working together with faculty (also from multiple institutions) to advance ethnographic practice can contribute to understanding myriad perspectives on environmental and climatological urgency. Conducting research during the program, students will share perspectives on their individual projects in Africa, Latin America, Asia or Europe. Non-academic partners also contribute to the interdisciplinary and community-engaged training. More on the project overview and objective can be found here: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101073542
#LA40by2030 Campaign
The 2020 America’s Health Rankings ranks Louisiana 50th in the United States. In response, LCHE has developed the LA40by2030 campaign to improve health outcomes and quality of life for children and families across the state. The goal of the campaign is to improve the state’s national ranking to 40th by the year 2030. LCHE recognizes that improving Louisiana’s health ranking by 2030 will require the participation of government officials, public healthcare professionals, and the general public. LCHE is inviting stakeholders to develop a health equity database and action platform and contribute to achieving #LA40by2030.
Annual Health Summit
LCHE leads an annual health summit with the goal of improving health in Louisiana through the lens of health equity and determinants of health. The summit is designed to engage a diverse array of stakeholders in better understanding rapdily changing conditions of health with the goal of informing policy and building partnerships for community health improvements. This goal of the summit is to inspire action on the state, regional and local levels, and to facilitate progress towards LA40by2030.
The 2023 health summit will focus on population heath, and women and children's health. The summit is also aligned with the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) state health improvement priorities: behavioral health, chronic disease, community safety, and maternal and child health.
Louisiana Resources and Educational Assessments for Children’s Health (LA REACH)
LA REACH is a pilot program to develop a holistic approach to improving school environments for teachers and students by decreasing instances of student disciplinary actions, violence, alternative school placement, increasing graduation rates, grade point averages, and standardized test scores. The program goals are to address the lack of awareness and resources for mental health, provide trauma-informed training to school personnel, and build stronger home and school relationships. The program strategy is to provide a safe and conducive environment for learning.
Office of Women's Health and Community Health (OHWHCH)
In 2022, LCHE’s organization and activism led to the creation of the first Louisiana office focused on women’s health. The Office of Women’s Health and Community Health (OWHCH) was established under a bill passed by the Louisiana Legislature on June 18, 2022. The office exists to improve women’s health outcomes and act as a coordinating agency and resources center for women’s health data and strategies.
The Wade Institute for Youth Equity
The Wade Institute for Youth Equity is a year-round program dedicated to pursuing youth equity in key quality indicators, and promoting community safety in communities across Louisiana. For more than a decade, the Louisiana Center for Health Equity has devised and implemented a holistic public health approach to adolescent health. This includes, but is not limited to, youth violence prevention, positive youth development, healthy living including sexual risk avoidance, and mental health wellness. The Institute aims to create a well-rounded and equipped student for positive decision making.
Nuestra Casa works on several initiatives, and they seek to improve the lives of low-income immigrant communities in San Mateo County, California. Illustrative programming includes; Immigration Services, Health and Wellness Programs, Housing Support, Community + Civic Engagement, Education, and Career Development.
As a new organization, OCEJ is focused on building awareness and advocating for environmental justice issues in Orange County. The main initiatives illustrative of the organization’s work include; advocating for clean air, addressing water contamination, climate change action, and community engagement. They seek to advocate for marginalized communities disproportionately exposed to and impacted by environmental harms.
