State health department wants to hear from Louisiana women about healthcare

BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – The Louisiana Department of Health’s Office of Women’s Health and Community Health (OWHCH) is launching a town hall series with the goal of seeking answers from the public about women’s needs across the state.

“Louisiana has low health rankings. We know women are the center and nucleus of families. Health of woman are the predictor of the rest of the family’s health. So it’s important to go across the state and listen to the vast and various voices from all parts of the state to understand what their health care needs are,” said Torrie Harris, assistant secretary of women’s health at Louisiana Department of Health.

Harris said they will not only listen to the community during the town hall series but put their concerns into action.

“We plan to look at the data and develop policy, advocacy, continuing to educate communities across the state, continuing to listen to what they have to say so we can speak to decision makers across the state on how we can improve their health,” she said.

During the initial town hall meeting, residents expressed concerns about access to health care and the importance of maternal health.

Baton Rouge resident Courtney Anderson said there are many needs in the community and hopes that LDH takes away a lot from the listening sessions.

“We want our voices to be heard, we want to see change. We are here and ready to talk,” Anderson said.

Alma Stewart Allen is the president and founder of the Louisiana Center for Health Equality. She says the event is a very much-needed service.

“They need to know what are the needs and how they can best be met because cookie cutter doesn’t work. One size doesn’t fit all so we have to customize. We have to have services and programs that are tailored to the needs of the people that we’re trying to reach and serve,” Allen said.

If you are interested in going to one of the other town hall events, you will not only get to express your concerns but you will be able to get insight into local resources, receive health screenings and more.

You can keep up with the schedule for the town hall series here.