HJBR Jul/Aug 2026

44 JUL / AUG 2026  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs rates have increased more than 30 percentage points — from 52% to 83%. Louisiana Healthcare Connections is expand- ing care beyond the doctor’s office to address the full picture of maternal health. This includes: • Access to prenatal and postpartum care coordination; • Behavioral health support for anxiety, depression, and postpartum conditions; • Telehealth services that remove transporta- tion as a barrier to care; • Community-based programs, including home visiting and support networks; and • Resources that address social drivers of health, such as nutrition and safe sleep education. The Louisiana Department of Health’s selec- tion for the Transforming Maternal Health Model (TMaH) grant from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) further reinforces this progress, bringing additional focus to improving access, quality, and whole-person care. Efforts include expanding access to doulas and com- munity health workers, strengthening screening and follow-up, and integrating behavioral health into maternity care. Louisiana Healthcare Connections encourages families and communities to encourage the full health and well-being of moms by: • Encouraging moms to prioritize self-care and seek support when needed; • Normalizing conversations around mater- nal mental health; • Connecting mothers with professional care and community resources; and • Advocating for continued access to com- prehensive maternal health services. Ochsner Medical Complex – The Grove Opening NewMRI Suite A new MRI suite at Ochsner Medical Complex – The Grove, began serving patients on June 9. The suite features both 1.5 Tesla and 3 Tesla Sie- mens MRI systems. The new MRI suite is part of Ochsner Baton Rouge’s broader $50 million investment to expand facilities, recruit additional physicians, and improve access to high-quality care across the region. The advanced MRI systems sig- nificantly improve patient access to care by Louisiana Carrot Initiative NowAvailable atWalmart Stores Statewide The Louisiana Department of Health’s (LDH) Louisiana Carrot Initiative is now available at all Louisiana Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market locations, expanding access to healthy food incentives for SNAP recipients statewide. The Louisiana Carrot Initiative provides Sup- plemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients with a 30-cent bonus for every dollar spent on fresh fruits and vegetables at partici- pating retailers. Participants can earn up to $25 in bonus benefits each month. The bonus bene- fits are automatically credited to their Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card and can be used to purchase SNAP-eligible groceries at any retailer that accepts SNAP benefits. Research from the U.S. Department of Agricul- ture shows participants in healthy food incentive programs consume significantly more fruits and vegetables than non-participants. Since the ini- tiative launched in April 2025, Louisiana SNAP recipients have earned more than $1.6 million in bonus benefits. War Does Not Make America Healthy Over seven congressional budget hearings in two weeks, Health and Human Services Secre- tary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was on Capitol Hill defending a proposed $111.1 billion discretion- ary budget for HHS — a $15.8 billion cut, 12.5% below the 2026 enacted level. At the same time, President Donald Trump’s budget proposes $1.5 trillion for national defense/offense — a 44% increase for the newly rebranded Department of War. Reuters described the proposal as the larg- est year-over-year increase in U.S. defense spend- ing since World War II. Kennedy spoke of diabetes, obesity, ultra-pro- cessed food, poor nutrition, chemical exposure, medical schools that barely teach nutrition, and a healthcare system that spends trillions treat- ing disease after it has already taken hold. He also defended a budget that cuts the depart- ment responsible for health, public health, med- ical research, disability programs, disease surveil- lance, rural health, and emergency preparedness. The most bipartisan moments in the hearing came when senators talked about food. Repub- licans praised Kennedy for emphasizing nutrition, food dyes, medical-school nutrition education, and changes to dietary guidelines. Democrats challenged him on cuts, vaccines, and public- health capacity. But across party lines, there was a rare area of agreement: The American food sys- tem is helping make Americans sick. Overall, the hearing became a collision between Kennedy’s message, Make America Healthy Again, and his anti-science stance and budget cuts to fund billionaires’ tax cuts and fund the Department of War. Kennedy is right that America’s chronic-disease crisis is real. He is right that nutrition matters. He is right that sanitation, food, water, housing, and environment deserve far more credit than medi- cine usually gives them. But he is wrong when that argument becomes a shield against vaccine accountability, outbreak preparedness, or the basic responsibilities of the health department he leads. And he does not seem to have the power to stop what he knows will harm Americans: pesticides and war. It is not that Kennedy is always wrong or that his critics are always right. It is more uncomfort- able than that. America is sick. Kennedy knows it. America is overmedicalized. Kennedy knows it. America’s food system is dangerous. Kennedy knows it. America’s healthcare costs are unsustainable. Everyone in that room knows it. But knowing it is not enough. A nation does not become healthy by cutting health and funding war. — Dianne Marie Normand Hartley Louisiana Healthcare Connections Highlights Maternal andMental Health Louisiana Healthcare Connections is spotlight- ing the importance of maternal mental health and the progress being made to improve care for moms before, during, and after pregnancy. More mothers on Medicaid in Louisiana are get- ting the care they need at critical moments in their health journey. Prenatal care rates for Louisiana Healthcare Connections members have increased more than 20 percentage points — from 65% to 86% between 2011 and 2024. Postpartum care