SLS 21RS-3675 ORIGINAL
2021 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 217
BY SENATOR FESI
HEALTH CARE. Directs the Louisiana Department of Health and the LSU Health Services
Center - New Orleans, health care services division, to report on the use and results of
hydroxychloroquine on Medicaid patients for treating COVID-19.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To authorize and direct the Louisiana Department of Health and the Louisiana State
3 University Health Sciences Center - New Orleans, health care services division, to
4 jointly report on the use and results of hydroxychloroquine for treating Medicaid
5 recipients relative to COVID-19.
6 WHEREAS, Senate Resolution No. 28 of the 2020 Second Extraordinary Session of
7 the Legislature requested the Louisiana Department of Health to report on the use and results
8 of hydroxychloroquine for treating Medicaid recipients relative to COVID-19 for a control
9 period of March 2020 through October 2020 and to submit a report to the Senate by
10 December 1, 2020; and
11 WHEREAS, in response to Senate Resolution No. 28, the Louisiana Department of
12 Health advised of its inability to complete the required report due to funding and clinical
13 research needed; that it did not consider the resolution as a health care- and clinical- related
14 policy, but rather clinical and academic research, that the department did not have the
15 capacity nor the in-house expertise to conduct a clinical study, and that the department was
16 concerned that some data points would be unavailable or difficult to obtain, as in the case
17 where medication was donated or it was used in outpatient treatment; and
18 WHEREAS, the mission of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center -
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SLS 21RS-3675 ORIGINAL
1 New Orleans, health care services division, is to work and team collaboratively with other
2 organizations to advance quality and efficiency in care delivery and positively impact health
3 and health care for Louisiana's citizens; and
4 WHEREAS, hydroxychloroquine, also known as hydroxychloroquine sulfate, was
5 approved for medical use in the United States in 1955; and
6 WHEREAS, hydroxychloroquine is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, and
7 can be used to prevent malaria; and
8 WHEREAS, hydroxychloroquine has been proposed as a treatment for COVID-19
9 and has been the focus of several randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials across
10 the United States and parts of Canada; and
11 WHEREAS, according to the Louisiana Department of Health, as of October 19,
12 2020, there have been 2,594,376 COVID-19 tests administered; 175,982 confirmed
13 COVID-19 diagnoses; and 5,566 confirmed COVID-19 deaths in Louisiana; and
14 WHEREAS, more than 1.8 million Louisianians are enrolled in the state Medicaid
15 program; and
16 WHEREAS, Medicaid recipients' services covered and outcomes achieved are
17 reliable and readily available data sets that can be used to determine the use and results of
18 hydroxychloroquine.
19 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
20 does hereby authorize and direct the Louisiana Department of Health and the Louisiana State
21 University Health Sciences Center - New Orleans, health care services division, to report on
22 the use and results of hydroxychloroquine for treating Medicaid recipients relative to
23 COVID-19.
24 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the report shall include the following
25 information for a control period of March 2020 through October 2020:
26 (1) The number of Medicaid recipients who were taking hydroxychloroquine for
27 rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, or to prevent malaria during the control period and tested
28 positive for COVID-19.
29 (a) Of those recipients who tested positive for COVID-19, how many were
30 hospitalized and what was the duration of the hospitalization.
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SLS 21RS-3675 ORIGINAL
1 (b) Of those recipients who tested positive for COVID-19, how many deaths occurred
2 whether hospitalized or not.
3 (2) The number of Medicaid recipients who were not taking hydroxychloroquine for
4 rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, or to prevent malaria during the control period, tested positive
5 for COVID-19, and were treated with hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 post-exposure
6 prophylaxis.
7 (a) Of those recipients treated with hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19
8 post-exposure prophylaxis, how many were hospitalized and what was the duration of the
9 hospitalization.
10 (b) Of those recipients treated with hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19
11 post-exposure prophylaxis, how many deaths occurred, whether hospitalized or not.
12 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the report to the Senate shall be provided no
13 later than December 1, 2021.
14 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
15 secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health and to the chancellor of Louisiana State
16 University Health Sciences Center - New Orleans, health care services division.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Jerry J. Guillot.
DIGEST
SR 217 Original 2021 Regular Session Fesi
Directs the La. Department of Health and the LSU Health Sciences Center - New Orleans,
health care services division, to report to the Senate no later than on December 1, 2021, on
the use and results of hydroxychloroquine for treating Medicaid recipients relative to
COVID-19 between March 2020 through October 2020.
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