Health Care
Lafayette area ICU hospital beds are at 97 percent capacity
The Lafayette area’s ICU hospital beds are at 97 percent capacity, meaning only four beds are available in the region, the Louisiana Department of Health reported Wednesday . However, a spokesperson for Lafayette General Health — one of the region’s local hospitals — said LDH’s numbers can be “a little misleading.” Patricia Thompson, director of […]
‘Every single one’ of Louisiana’s hospitals at risk of overflow
Gov. John Bel Edwards expressed deep concern Thursday about the continuous increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations across Louisiana, which have climbed by nearly 30 percent over the last seven days and are bringing hospitals to the brink of patient overflow. At a press conference Thursday, the governor reported 929 patients in hospitals due to COVID-19, an […]
Louisiana prisons hastily pull plug on resuming family visits during COVID-19
Louisiana prisons have been preparing for about a month to resume family visits during the week of Thanksgiving after suspending them over eight months ago. But prison officials hastily pulled back on those plans Thursday, saying family visits would no longer take place in a few days. The prison system is worried about the rising […]
The Supreme Court could strike down Obamacare. Here’s what’s at stake.
WASHINGTON—The fate of the sweeping 2010 health care law known as Obamacare is again in limbo, with the Supreme Court on Tuesday set to hear arguments over whether that statute should be overturned. States are at the heart of the case and nearly every one has made an argument about why Obamacare should be kept […]
Governor vetoes bill to give legislators power over COVID-19 restrictions
Gov. John Bel Edwards vetoed legislation Tuesday that gives legislators the power to rescind COVID-19 restrictions and weakens his authority over emergencies overall. “I have said repeatedly that an emergency cannot be managed by committee and that is exactly what this bill would allow,” wrote the governor in his veto explanation to the legislature. Edwards […]
State health department to stress the importance of flu shots in series of virtual town hall events
The Louisiana Department of Health and Louisiana Public Health Institute will host three virtual town halls over the next few weeks “to educate the community about the importance of getting the flu vaccine this year, especially given the similarities between flu symptoms and COVID-19 symptoms.” The virtual town halls, titled “Protecting our Communities from the […]
Louisiana House will consider law to protect pastor who violated COVID-19 restrictions
The Louisiana House will take up legislation that would protect a pastor who defied state regulations by holding church services during the first few weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. The House Criminal Justice Committee voted 6-3 Wednesday (Oct. 7) to send a bill aimed at clearing Pentecostal Pastor Tony Spell of charges he faces for […]
Louisiana House backs proposals to undo COVID-19 restrictions
The Louisiana House of Representatives made its intentions clear Friday when it passed seven bills that would limit the governor’s authority during emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic — and one extra piece of legislation that could throw out all of the state’s COVID-19 restrictions until the end of November. None of the measures can go […]
Louisiana restaurants, casinos, bars get to sell alcohol for one more hour
Gov. John Bel Edwards adjusted his Phase 3 emergency order Thursday to allow Louisiana restaurants, casinos and bars in certain geographic areas to sell alcohol for on-premises consumption for an extra hour — until 11 p.m. Under the original Phase 3 plan announced last week, those establishments had to stop selling alcohol for on-site drinking […]
Louisiana’s Phase 3: Restaurants, retail shops and churches will be at 75 percent capacity
Restaurants, retail shops and churches will be among the venues moving from 50 percent occupancy to 75 percent occupancy under the state’s new Phase 3 COVID-19 rules that will be released Friday afternoon, Gov. John Bel Edwards said in an interview with WWL Radio. The governor is expected to shared the full details of Phase […]
As Louisiana’s COVID-19 response continues, the state’s top public health official is resigning
The person who oversees Louisiana’s public health office — and the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic — is leaving his job. Alex Billioux, a medical doctor and the assistant secretary for the Louisiana Department of Health, will step down at the end of the month, the health department confirmed Wednesday. He has been in […]
Louisiana Prisons Need To Do More COVID-19 Releases, Advocates Say
The Department of Corrections says there are 9,000 fewer people detained in Louisiana prisons and jails than when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in March, but over half of that reduction is the result of changes to how parole violations, immigration infractions and pre-trial detention are handled. There hasn’t been a dramatic change […]