HB423 by Rep. Julie Emerson, R-Carencro will require hospitals to submit quarterly reports to the Louisiana Department of Health on treatments for abortion complications.
COVID-19
Legislative Roundup: Partial decriminalization of marijuana possession; environmental self-audits; abortion reporting; and more
Sprinting for the finish, the Senate blazed through some thorny legislation on marijuana, abortion rights and vaccine ‘anti-discrimination.’
7 min read
Legislative Roundup: Power-based abuse; vaccine ‘anti-discrimination’; solar incentive pause; and more
Legislation is advancing in a hurry as the session’s end nears.
11 min read
The slow road to getting vaccinated after back-to-back hurricanes
A state program aims to make COVID-19 vaccinations accessible to residents of southwest Louisiana, where vaccine rates are low and people are displaced.
11 min read
Bring it to the barbershop: Black nurses power a grassroots response to addressing health gaps
Using direct, compassionate and accessible language, the Acadiana Black Nurses Association has worked to improve health literacy from the ground up.
8 min read
Acadiana’s hotel shelters wind down as Covid and housing insecurity persist
Despite new rules that would put the cost burden fully on the federal government, Louisiana’s hotel programs are ending, including the state’s largest in Acadiana.
10 min read
Evictions, homelessness surge in southwest Louisiana after hurricanes
Catastrophes collided on Lake Charles in 2020 and scattered an already fragile housing market to the wind. Homelessness is climbing despite stays on evictions in what should be a cautionary tale for the rest of the state.
23 min read
Link: Louisiana expanding vaccine eligibility to K-12 teachers, people with health conditions
Beginning Monday, K-12 teachers and school staff and people aged 55-64 with certain health conditions will be eligible to receive Covid vaccines, Gov. Edwards announced Thursday, reported here by The Advocate. The massive ongoing winter event has disrupted already delayed vaccine logistics. Closed roads and offices forced delays in vaccine shipments and providers have had to reschedule both first- and second-dose appointments. LDH officials say that a few days delay on second doses shouldn’t be a problem. Just over a quarter-million people have been fully vaccinated in Louisiana. Hospitalizations have plummeted, however. As of Thursday, the Acadiana region posted fewer than 60 Covid in-patients for the first time since Nov. 2.
In last-minute revision, Lafayette docs abandon direct support for local mask mandate
The day of the vote itself, the mandate lost official support from a group of physicians affiliated with both of Lafayette’s hospital systems.
10 min read
Link: As expected, Lafayette mask mandate fails
A second effort at passing a local mask mandate failed on a 3-2 vote during a Tuesday emergency meeting of the Lafayette City Council. Losing co-sponsor Nanette Cook ahead of the meeting, the bill was dead on arrival and would have needed four “yes” votes to succeed and overcome a likely veto from Mayor-President Josh Guillory.
More than 3,000 calls flooded the council office, with two-thirds recording opposition. Misinformation about masking and the ordinance itself circulated wildly in the weeks since the effort was announced, though a draft of the ordinance didn’t materialize publicly until Monday.
Councilman Glenn Lazard pressed on despite the foregone failure, emphasizing that the mandate was necessary to force the administration’s hand into enforcement. Late last year, Guillory stood down local efforts to support the state’s mask mandate, and the state’s enforcement is itself virtually nonexistent.
COLUMN: Passing a local mask mandate will help Lafayette’s businesses
Lost in the rancor is consideration of the positive impact that a mask mandate will have on Lafayette’s businesses.
6 min read
UPDATE: LCG passes $7 million rent assistance plan
December’s booster shot of federal stimulus will send $7 million in rent and utility assistance to Lafayette Parish, a figure that dwarfs previous local allocations but that advocates say still falls short of projected need. LCG is working through how to get the money out quickly.
5 min read