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20 JUL / AUG 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs Again, will include a $1.1 million, three-phased response package to help Louisiana respond to and recover from COVID-19. LWCC piloted an initiative called Safe Schools in two Louisiana school districts and after finding initial success, formed the foundation to scale this program and support additional initiatives elevat- ing Louisiana. In late 2019, funding for the foundation was provided by an initial endowment from the LWCC Board of Directors. The LWCC Founda- tion defined its vision—to make Louisiana home to the healthiest and safest workforce in Amer- ica—and its mission—to inspire and create trans- formational change in Louisiana businesses and workers. The foundation quickly realized that playing a role in the fight against COVID-19 is filling an immediate need and aligned with the organiza- tion’s purpose, vision, and mission. Therefore, resources have been repurposed to help allevi- ate the impact of COVID-19 on Louisiana citizens. “History has shown that Louisiana is filled with optimistic and resilient people, but they need resources to overcome adversity. With the out- break of COVID-19, we saw the need for imme- diate action and have stepped forward to address both the short- and long-term impacts of this disease. Towards this end, we launched the LWCC Foundation with a three phase gift and grant package, Louisiana Well Again: COVID- 19 Response Package,” said John Hawie, LWCC Foundation board chair. The three phases of the Louisiana Well Again: COVID-19 Response Package include: • Phase 1 is a $100,000 gift to Feeding Louisi- ana, a statewide nonprofit organization that supports food banks across the state. • Phase 2 is a $500,000 grants program that will help hospitals across the state support the work of COVID-19 frontline healthcare workers. • Phase 3 is a $500,000 grants program to fund initiatives focused on improving the health, wellness, and safety of Louisiana workers in the wake of the COVID-19 peak. These initia- tives will implement long-term solutions tar- geting long-existing vulnerabilities in Louisi- ana workers. This grants program will begin later in 2020 once there is greater clarity on the impacts of COVID-19 on Louisiana’s workforce. A link to the grant application for hospitals and hospital foundations can be found at louisian- aloyal.com. COVID-19 Recovery Grants ProgramHelps Community Organizations Louisiana Healthcare Connections announced the launch of a new grant program focused on supporting community-based organizations in addressing the social and healthcare needs of families and individuals affected by the COVID- 19 pandemic. The COVID-19 Recovery Grants Program is a new addition to the health plan’s Community Health Grants program, which has awarded more than $150,000 to organizations statewide since its launch in 2018. The Community Health Grants program is a key element in Louisiana Healthcare Connections’ multi-tiered, statewide strategy to address nutrition and food security as a key social determinant of health. The COVID-19 Recovery Grants Program expands the grant program to offer support specifically to non-profit organizations that are based in Louisiana and serve the Medicaid pop- ulation. Grant awards of up to $5,000 each will be awarded to assist eligible organizations that are creating innovative solutions to address the social service and healthcare needs of those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Examples of eligible programs include, but are not limited to, those that address: • Homelessness and housing, including rental assistance; • Social isolation; • Transportation, including the delivery of food and diapers; • Utility assistance; and/or • Food insecurity and hunger, among others. “Too many families and individuals in commu- nities across our state are struggling with these issues, especially in the midst of the COVID- 19 pandemic,” said Jamie Schlottman, CEO of Louisiana Healthcare Connections. “This grant program allows us to work collaboratively with our state’s community-based organizations to ensure that one of the state’s most vulnerable populations has access to the resources they need to overcome these social determinants of health.” Grant proposals will be reviewed weekly. Pro- posals may be approved, declined or held for consideration for later funding. Organizations with approved proposals will receive grant funds within 30 days. Additional information about COVID-19 Recov- ery Grants Program as well as the formal RFP are available online at www.LouisianaHealthConnect. com/grants. Questions may be directed to Com- munityGrants@LouisianaHealthConnect.com . Louisiana Healthcare Connections Provides PPE, Care Packages to Frontline Providers In response to the high demand for personal protective equipment (PPE) and other supplies on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, Loui- siana Healthcare Connections partnered with the Louisiana Nurses Foundation and the Lou- isiana Primary Care Association (LPCA) to pro- vide healthcare workers with the items they need. Louisiana Healthcare Connections, a Healthy Louisiana Medicaid health plan, recently provided 150,000 masks; 1,500 face shields; 3,000 hand san- itizers; and 20 care packages to hospitals, health systems, and clinics across the state. The Louisiana Nurses Foundation received 50,000 masks and 1,500 face shields for nurses working around-the-clock on the frontlines of the epidemic at hospitals across the state. In addi- tion, Louisiana Healthcare Connections partnered with the Foundation’s Nurses Relief Fund to pro- vide 3,000 hand sanitizers and 20 care packages for registered nurses serving on the frontlines of COVID-19 units. In addition to the PPE provided to the Louisiana Nurses Foundation, the LPCA received 100,000 masks to distribute across its statewide network of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Community Health Centers (CHCs). “Our state’s healthcare workers are one of our most important assets in fighting the COVID-19 epidemic,” said Jamie Schlottman, CEO of Loui- siana Healthcare Connections. “We are grateful for the opportunity to show our appreciation for their invaluable work, determination and dedica- tion by providing them with the tools they need