BATON ROUGE, La. — Gov. Jeff Landry on April 7 signed an executive order creating the Office of Rural Health Transformation and Sustainability within the Louisiana Department of Health, a move aimed at improving health care access and outcomes in rural areas.
The new office will oversee implementation of the state’s Rural Health Transformation Program, supported by more than $208 million in federal funding. State officials said the award positions Louisiana to access more than $1 billion in total funding over the next five years.
The executive order also establishes a Rural Health Transformation Program Advisory Council, which will guide implementation and align initiatives with statewide priorities and local community needs.
“This executive order reflects our commitment to improving health outcomes for Louisiana families, no matter where they live,” Landry said.
Louisiana Department of Health Secretary Bruce Greenstein said the funding will support efforts to expand access and improve coordination of care.
“With this investment, we are not only expanding access, but we are building a more coordinated and sustainable health system for rural communities,” Greenstein said.
Nearly 1.1 million Louisiana residents live in rural parishes, where access to care is often limited and rates of chronic disease are higher. State officials said the new office will coordinate efforts to expand care availability, strengthen infrastructure and address workforce shortages.
Key priorities for the office include expanding the rural health care workforce, modernizing technology, developing new care delivery models and improving coordination across providers. The initiatives are intended to address chronic disease, improve maternal and infant health outcomes, expand behavioral health services and support earlier detection and treatment of serious conditions such as cancer.
Louisiana Surgeon General Dr. Evelyn Griffin said the initiative is intended to improve access to consistent, high-quality care across rural communities.