Louisiana's Path to a Unified Behavioral Health System

The Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI) was part of a four association Gulf States team that received funding to participate in the Delta Center’s State Learning and Action Collaborative. The team focused on improved telehealth service delivery, access, and quality, and identifying and providing education on policies centered in health equity to improve primary care and behavioral health. 

One of the challenges they encountered was a fragmented and siloed behavioral healthcare system in the state, which prevented them from advancing behavioral healthcare to its full potential for communities across Louisiana. LPHI then decided to explore the feasibility and interest for a behavioral health state association, which would serve as a formalized coordinating body and create a mechanism for members to advocate for a robust, fully-resourced behavioral health system that meets the needs of all people. 

In the video below, Shelina Davis, Chief Executive Officer of LPHI, and Taslim van Hattum, Chief Program Officer of LPHI, share the story of how they laid the groundwork for a behavioral health state association in Louisiana.