Skip to Main Content

On Feb. 21, 2024, Change Healthcare experienced a cyber security incident. Any individuals impacted by this incident will receive a letter in the mail. To learn more about this from Change Healthcare, please click here or reach out to the contact center at 1-866-262-5342.

FRONTLINE HEALTHCARE WORKERS RECEIVE PPE, CARE PACKAGES

Date: 04/27/20

Baton Rouge, La. – In response to the high demand for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other supplies on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, Louisiana Healthcare Connections has partnered with the Louisiana Nurses Foundation and the Louisiana Primary Care Association (LPCA) to provide healthcare workers with the items they need.

Over the past two weeks, Louisiana Healthcare Connections, a Healthy Louisiana Medicaid health plan, has provided 150,000 masks; 1,500 face shields; 3,000 hand sanitizers; and 20 care packages to hospitals, health systems and clinics across the state.

The Louisiana Nurses Foundation received 50,000 masks and 1,500 face shields for nurses working around-the-clock on the frontlines of the epidemic at hospitals across the state. In addition, Louisiana Healthcare Connections partnered with the Foundation’s Nurses Relief Fund to provide 3,000 hand sanitizers and 20 care packages for Registered Nurses (RNs) serving on the frontlines of COVID-19 units.

“When we conducted a needs assessment of RNs to determine their immediate needs, I was expecting the usual things like snacks, drinks, lotions and so on. While there was a need for those items, I was shocked to see how great the need was for PPE,” said Thea Ducrow, PhD, Executive Director of LSNA. “Even this far into the pandemic, they are lacking the basic PPE to keep them, their patients, and their families safe and healthy.”

Ducrow explained that Louisiana Healthcare Connections, a longtime partner of the Louisiana Nurses Foundation, reached out to provide support for the organization’s Care Packages Relief Fund during the program’s first week of operation. As a result of that outreach, 20 care packages, each containing 100 protein bars and energy drinks, and a total of 3,000 pocket hand sanitizers were distributed to 19 hospitals across the state as well as the hospital overflow facility at Morial Convention Center in New Orleans.

“We were so grateful for that support, but I was feeling helpless about the need for PPE for nurses on the frontlines,” she said. “I had no idea how or where to get some quickly. Then I had a call from the Louisiana Healthcare Connections CEO, Jamie Schlottman, to find out what else we needed and how they could help. In less than 48 hours, they had secured the PPE, and we are now sending it to the full spectrum of facilities across the state.”

Ducrow added, “Every day, when others are stepping away, our nurses are stepping up. Thanks to Louisiana Healthcare Connections, they will be able to do so safely.”

In addition to the PPE provided to the Louisiana Nurses Foundation, the LPCA received 100,000 masks to distribute across its statewide network of Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and Community Health Centers (CHCs).

"Louisiana's Community Health Centers are serving on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19," said Gerrelda Davis, Executive Director of the Louisiana Primary Care Association. "Like other healthcare providers across the country, health center employees continue to risk their own health and safety in order to serve the needs of their patients. These men and women do not have the luxury of working from home. With the help of Louisiana Healthcare Connections, our health center members on the ground have secured the personal protective equipment they need to stay safe and prevent the spread of COVID-19. We are proud of our long-standing partnership with Louisiana Healthcare Connections and look forward to continued collaboration."

“Our state’s healthcare workers are one of our most important assets in fighting the COVID-19 epidemic,” said Jamie Schlottman, CEO of Louisiana Healthcare Connections. “We are grateful for the opportunity to show our appreciation for their invaluable work, determination and dedication by providing them with the tools they need to stay safe while caring for their patients during this unprecedented crisis.”

To learn more about the Louisiana Nurses Foundation’s Care Package Relief Fund, please visit www.LSNA.org/donation/. At this time, based on its most recent needs assessment, the fund has a high priority need for PPE, including N95 masks, face shields, cloth gowns, disinfectant wipes and hand sanitizer.