Louisiana Department of Health
The Louisiana Department of Health is the state agency responsible for protecting health and supporting access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services. Based in Baton Rouge, it combines statewide health administration with public-health programmes and local parish services.
Organization profile
- Organization type
- Government / public health agency
- Headquarters / base
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States
- Geographic scope
- Louisiana, United States
- Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals
- Department of Health and Hospitals
Medical focus
Activities
Population served
Statewide health administration
The department’s headquarters is at 628 North Fourth Street in Baton Rouge. Its responsibilities extend across Louisiana through public programmes, regional offices and service providers. The state agency directory identifies public health, behavioral health, aging and adult services, developmental-disability services and Medicaid among its principal functions.
This work includes both direct services and the administration of systems through which other organizations deliver care. Examples include healthcare licensing, adult protective services, environmental inspections and emergency preparedness, alongside efforts to improve access to medical and rehabilitative support.
Public health and parish services
The Office of Public Health works on communicable and chronic diseases, food and drinking-water safety, disaster readiness, public-health information and vital records. Preventive services are delivered through a statewide network that includes parish health units.
One local example is the Allen Parish Health Unit at 145 Hospital Drive in Oakdale. The department lists immunizations, tuberculosis testing, reproductive-health services, WIC nutrition support and vital records among the unit’s services. It is a public-health office within the state network, with a different role from a community hospital or school clinic.
Department and community-support history
Act 300 of 2016 changed the name Department of Health and Hospitals to Louisiana Department of Health. The earlier departmental name therefore appears in historical programme documents and community-resource directories.
A July–August 2004 Louisiana Medicaid bulletin described the Bureau of Community Supports and Services and its work on provider enrollment and standards for home- and community-based waiver services. This dated administrative history places the bureau within Louisiana’s health and disability-service system, alongside the department’s broader responsibilities for access to care.