HJBR Mar/Apr 2020

26 MAR / APR 2020  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs examine data that is structured to highlight dis- parities and make recommendations to depart- ment leadership for adopting solutions. In addition, the health equity plan requires offices and bureaus to conduct regular commu- nity engagement exercises that are designed to gather input from the people the department serves. That input will be used to inform new and existing programming in the department, as well as educate communities about services the department and its partners throughout the state offer. “To redirect its focus on combating health dis- parities, Louisiana looked to other states that have dedicated health equity initiatives and used two in particular as a model, Minnesota and California,” Associated Press reporter Melinda Deslatte wrote. “Louisiana’s health equity initia- tive still is in early stages, but ideas already have emerged.  Launching a health equity plan was a top prior- ity in the department in 2019, and was led by the newly created Office of Health Equity, Commu- nity of Partnerships. Led by Earl Benjamin-Rob- inson, the office supports efforts throughout the department to build capacity for equity-focused programs. In December, The Advocate reported on an effort to deploy community health workers in underserved communities in Baton Rouge.  Benjamin Robinson, of the Office of Health Equity, said that community health workers are an excellent example of the equity work he’s seeking to expand through the department’s Health Equity Plan. “In the process of researching the plan, we found that there was great work being done in the department around Health Equity, but it was often being done in pockets,” Benjamin- Robinson said. “The Health Equity plan creates a formal process for taking Health Equity work department-wide, in addition to creating stron- ger connections with the people we serve.” Stephen R. Russo is InterimSecretary of the Department of Health Stephen R. Russo been appointed by Gov. Edwards to the position of interim secretary of the Department of Health. Russo wrote, “To say the least, I am extremely excited to head our team as we move forward with the Governor’s second term. I am also extremely humbled that the Governor of our great State has the con- fidence in me to maintain the Department’s course. I will surely try my best not to let him, or my fellow Department employees, down.” Russo is a lifelong resident of the Baton Rouge area and has been with the Department for approximately 24 years. He obtained an Accounting degree from LSU, and graduated from the LSU Law Center in 1994. “During my appointment as interim secretary, Kimberly Humbles will assume the role of head of all Department legal activities. She is extremely dedicated to this Department and works tire- lessly to keep LDH legally compliant. We are cer- tainly in good hands with her at the helm.” Capital Area Human Services Medical Director Aniedi Udofa, MD, Elected as a Distinguished Fellow in the American Psychiatric Association Aniedi Udofa, MD, medical director at the Cap- ital Area Human Services (CAHS), has been rec- ognized as a newly elected distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (APA). The professional association recognizes psychia- trists with the honorary designation based on the individual’s significant contributions to the field. Udofa will be recognized at the 2020 Convo- cation of Distinguished Fellows during the APA annual meeting in Philadelphia, Penn., in April. She will be bestowed with a distinguished fellow pin and a medallion at the event. According to CAHS executive director Jan Kasofsky, “This is a well-deserved recogni- tion. We are honored to work with Dr. Udofa, a dedicated, enthusiastic, ‘can do’ and caring physician.” She has served on the CAHS medical staff for 18 years and was named medical director in 2012. She is also an LSU Health Sciences Cen- ter clinical rotation supervisor for the substance abuse and community psychiatry program for the LSU Psychiatry Residents training at CAHS. She is certified as a diplomat of American Board of Psy- chiatry and Neurology. Udofa has served as dep- uty coroner-mental health for the past 13 years. LouisianaMedicaid Now Including Pre-filled Forms in Renewal Letters To better assist Medicaid members in complet- ing renewal documents, the Louisiana Depart- ment of Health has begun including pre-filled forms in renewal letters that are sent to mem- bers each month. “We are committed to making sure Louisianans who are eligible maintain their Medicaid cover- age,” said Stephen Russo, interim secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health. “Pre-filled forms may sound like a small development, but evidence shows that removing this sort of barrier can have a significant, positive impact.” Each member will receive a paper renewal form that has been pre-filled with their informa- tion. Members who use the paper form to renew their Medicaid coverage only need to check that the information is correct and use the spaces provided to make any changes, including adding additional people in their household or another job that is not on the pre-filled form. The letter contains instructions for how to return the form, as well as how to renew online and by phone. The form can also be returned by fax, email, or in person at one of the Med- icaid offices. Even if no changes are made to the pre- filled form, the documents must be signed and returned to complete the renewal process. Some members may receive the form in more than one envelope because of the required information for their coverage. Members must complete their renewal pro- cess by the due date or they risk losing their coverage. Aniedi Udof, MD

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