ENROLLED
2023 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 100
BY REPRESENTATIVE DUSTIN MILLER
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To continue the Health Disparities in Rural Areas Task Force created in the 2022 Regular
Session of the Legislature of Louisiana pursuant to House Concurrent Resolution No.
44 to identify and study key health issues affecting rural areas and develop strategies
to improve health outcomes for rural and under-served communities and to submit
a written report to the House and Senate committees on health and welfare by
February 1, 2024.
WHEREAS, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, overall health outcomes for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and
American Indians in this country are far poorer than for white people; and
WHEREAS, vast health disparities persist in this country, particularly in rural areas,
and many have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, rural areas comprise roughly eighty percent of Louisiana's total
geographic area; and
WHEREAS, nearly twenty-six percent of our state's population, totaling more than
one million two hundred thousand Louisianans, live in rural communities; and
WHEREAS, sixty-three of Louisiana's sixty-four parishes are classified as health
professional shortage areas according to the standards of the federal Health Resources and
Services Administration; and
WHEREAS, approximately ninety-eight percent of this state's entire population lives
in a federally designated health professional shortage area; and
WHEREAS, the vast majority of Louisiana's rural communities are medically under-
served by all established measures, yet programs to address the healthcare needs of this
population remain underfunded and few are guided by local stakeholders or locally
conducted needs assessments; and
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WHEREAS, in consideration of the findings set forth in this Resolution, the
legislature hereby declares that improving health outcomes in rural communities is a critical
public health priority of this state.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
continue the Health Disparities in Rural Areas Task Force.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the membership and duties of the task force shall
continue as provided in House Concurrent Resolution No. 44 of the 2022 Regular Session
of the Legislature of Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the membership of the task force shall include
one member from the Clinicians of Color Workgroup and one member of the Louisiana
Managed Medicaid Association, appointed by the Board of Directors of the Louisiana
Managed Medicaid Association.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall continue to be a
subcommittee of the Statewide Health Equity Consortium within the Louisiana Department
of Health.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Statewide Health Equity Consortium shall
reconvene the meeting of the task force no later than August 15, 2023.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members shall be given reasonable notice
of the meetings of the Health Disparities in Rural Areas Task Force.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any member who fails to attend two consecutive
meetings shall subject to removal by a majority vote of the task force.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED if a member of the task force is removed, the
chairperson may nominate a new member, who will become a member by majority vote of
the current members of the task force.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force may adopt rules of procedure and
any other policies as may be necessary to facilitate the work of the group.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that on or before February 1, 2024, the task force
shall submit to the House Committee on Health and Welfare, the Senate Committee on
Health and Welfare, and the David R. Poynter Legislative Research Library a report of its
findings and recommendations.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
president of the board of directors and the director of clinical practice, health policy, and
advocacy of the Louisiana State Nurses Association, the executive director of the Louisiana
State Board of Nursing, the executive director of the Louisiana State Board of Medical
Examiners, the dean of the Southern University School of Nursing, the president of the board
of directors of the Louisiana Association of Nurse Practitioners, the chief executive officer
of the Louisiana State Medical Society, the chief operating officer of the Rural Hospital
Coalition, Inc., the president of the Louisiana Hospital Association, the executive director
of the Louisiana Rural Health Association, the executive director of the Louisiana Primary
Care Association, the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, the president of the
board of directors of the Louisiana Managed Medicaid Association, the state director of
AARP Louisiana, the president of the board of directors of the Louisiana Academy of
Family Physicians, the president of the Louisiana Council of Administrators in Nursing
Education, the president of the Black Nurses Association of Acadiana, and the president of
the Louisiana Independent Pharmacies Association.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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