Health Care
Senator pulls bill that would have imposed health care restrictions for transgender youth
Sen. Mike Fesi, R-Houma, pulled his legislation Wednesday that would have restricted health care access for transgender children and teenagers by requiring people under 18 years old to get written permission from both their parents before pursuing medical care and mental health services based on their gender identity. This means that Fesi’s proposal is no […]
Will Louisiana fully legalize marijuana? 10 things to know about the debate
The Louisiana Legislature took a major step toward fully legalizing marijuana products for recreational use when — for the first time that anyone can remember — a legislative committee sent a bill to fully legalize marijuana to the House for consideration. The House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice voted 7-5 Tuesday for legislation […]
John Bel Edwards opposes bills with transgender restrictions
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards opposes four bills introduced by lawmakers that would impose restrictions on transgender people. The governor said he would hope the lawmakers will kill the legislation, and indicated he would likely veto the proposals if they made it to his desk. “I am really concerned about emotionally fragile people and the […]
‘We all deserve to keep our children’: Grieving grandmother calls attention to state’s high infant, maternal mortality rates
Argarette Weatherspoon-Collins told the Louisiana Senate Committee on Health and Welfare Wednesday that her daughter Jessica, then 6 months pregnant, went to see a doctor in March 2020 and when she was turned away because her insurance had just lapsed, went to an emergency room where her blood pressure registered 280/190. Twenty minutes later, Weatherspoon-Collins […]
Louisiana senator files anti-transgender legislation
Louisiana Sen. Mike Fesi, R-Houma, has filed legislation that would require people under 18 years old to get written permission from their parents before pursuing medical care and mental health services based on their gender identity. The bill would make it more difficult for transgender and gender nonconforming minors to get medical assistance if either […]
Louisiana Survey shows economy and pandemic top residents’ concerns
The results of the 2021 Louisiana Survey, released Tuesday, indicate residents are most concerned with the COVID-19 pandemic and the economy, even though more than two-thirds of those surveyed say that financially they’re doing as well or better than they were a year ago. Researchers in the Public Policy Research Lab (PPRL) at LSU’s Reilly […]
Louisiana will make many more people eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday
Gov. John Bel Edwards is expected to greatly expand access to the COVID-19 vaccines in Louisiana Tuesday, adding people with more than 20 health conditions and those who work in jails and prisons to the list of those eligible to receive them. Health care providers who didn’t want to be named shared an expanded list […]
LSU system submits missing sexual harassment reports
LSU submitted more of its campus reports on sexual harassment that are required by the state this week, after the Illuminator and Associated Press published stories saying the higher education system had missed a deadline to file most of them. The reports for LSU’s Alexandria, Eunice and Shreveport campuses were late. The university’s two health […]
Louisiana gave Ochsner Health 20 percent of all COVID-19 vaccine doses, data shows
Ochsner Health was the single largest recipient of COVID-19 vaccine from Louisiana during the first nine weeks of distribution, with its facilities getting about 20 percent of all doses given out by the state, according to an analysis done by Louisiana Illuminator of data publicly released by the Louisiana Department of Health. Ochsner facilities — […]
Louisiana’s bad weather delays vaccine shipments, appointments
The Louisiana Department of Health says bad weather across the state delayed vaccine shipments to hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and other health care providers. The delays are expected to affect people’s ability to get both first and second doses of vaccines in the coming days. “This is similar to delays in other areas outside of Louisiana […]
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards keeps current COVID-19 restrictions in place
Gov. John Bel Edwards on Tuesday extended the state’s current COVID-19 restrictions on businesses and public gatherings for at least another three weeks. These limitations have been in place since November, when Louisiana started to see its third surge in COVID-19 cases. The COVID-19 rate of infection has been dropping in Louisiana since the second […]
January was Louisiana’s second deadliest month for COVID-19
Louisiana just got through its second deadliest month of the COVID-19 pandemic. In January, 1,178 people died as a result of contracting COVID-19. The only deadlier month for the state was April, when over 1,705 people died of COVID-19, according to the Louisiana Department of Health. Of those who died in January, most people died […]