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Message from the Executive Director
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 As we move further into 2015, I am excited about the progress we have made to further transform our region into a place where our citizens thrive. We invite you to celebrate our communities and our families at our annual Behavioral and Primary Healthcare Integration Health Fair on Saturday, May 9th. The event will showcase behavioral & primary healthcare, community support, developmental disability and substance abuse services available to eligible children, adolescents and their families. At the Fair, citizens can schedule appointments for clinical services and find access to competent, quality health care. I hope you will join us.
We were recently awarded a seed grant from Magellan Health of Louisiana. With this grant, NE Delta HSA will conduct and host the Delta Solutions Rural Health Summit and workshop this fall to address social stigmas associated with behavioral healthcare, support services and recovery. This working summit will employ integrated health models to improve the continuum of care and access among our rural communities. It will bring to a head the groundwork we've all put in place over the past two years and anchor our efforts toward a more holistic approach to solving the region's problems. We will be calling upon regional leaders to help us forge collaborative solutions to some of our greatest challenges.
In this newsletter edition, you will also read about the initiation of our coalition in Union Parish, in partnership with The Children's Coalition for Northeast Louisiana and Louisiana Tech University's North Central Alliance Partners for Prevention, stemming from the DHH-OBH Louisiana Partnerships for Success grant awarded to us. Our work targets reduction of underage drinking and prescription pill use among the aged 12-25 population, and also aims to reduce depression and suicide rates in Union Parish.
NE Delta HSA hosted the second of three working Summits at University Health Conway (UHC) last month toward our Coordinated Care for People in Crisis initiative. In concert with our regional law enforcement and hospital system leadership, we're addressing critical issues to significantly reduce gaps in services throughout the northeast Louisiana region.
NE Delta HSA and DHH hosted its annual Substance Abuse and Treatment Services Public Forum in April. We led a dialogue that enabled regional healthcare providers to voice their concerns and issues, and DHH Assistant Secretary
Dr. Rochelle Head-Dunham updated attendees about the upcoming fiscal year 2016 transition to the Bayou Health Managed Care Organizations model.
Progress within these significant initiatives helps us move toward a more prosperous and healthy Northeast Louisiana, but important work still remains. We will continue to take action, serve as a catalyst for our citizens and deliver greater access to services, excellent customer service and quality, competent care.
Dr. Monteic A. Sizer
Executive Director
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Visit our Social Media pages to see news and industry updates!
 
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Join Us!
NE Delta HSA
Annual Behavioral & Primary Healthcare Integration
Health Fair
Saturday, May 9, 2015
Forsythe Park, Monroe, LA
Free Admission!
Special Guest 'The Voice' Season 7 Finalist
Damien Lawson
Please invite your friends, share, tweet and follow
#NEDHSA #THEEXTRAMILE #IAMDAMIEN
NE Delta HSA Women and Children's Services and The Extra Mile are hosting our annual Health Fair at Forsythe Park, 2300 Sycamore Street in Monroe, on Saturday, May 9 from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. The Fair will be a festive and educational event for families and kids.
The primary goal of the event is to ensure that our citizens are aware of behavioral health, developmental disability and substance abuse services available to eligible children, adolescents and their families. At the Fair, citizens can make appointments for clinical services and learn about the availability of access to competent, quality health care, including behavioral & primary healthcare services and community support services.
NE Delta HSA and many local health care providers will staff the event. Some of the Fair activities will include educational health information, free health screenings and lots of food and games for the kids!
"We are calling on our primary health care providers and those who serve children and adolescents throughout northeast Louisiana to participate in this educational and fun event," said Dr. Monteic A. Sizer, Executive Director of Northeast Delta HSA. "This Fair is an additional opportunity for us all to engage with the community and show our citizens that we care about their wellbeing. We also want citizens to know that we serve as an entry point to meet both their behavioral and primary healthcare needs."
Last year's Health Fair was a fun-filled and educational day - join us on May 9th for the 2015 Health Fair!
For more information about the event, call Loria Pierce at 318-362-5188. See you there! |
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NE Delta HSA Moves Closer to Helping People in Crisis |
NE Delta HSA hosted the second of three working Summits last month at University Health Conway (UHC) in Monroe. These Summits focus on improving coordinated care for people in crisis situations who suffer from mental health issues, addictive disorders and developmental disabilities. Dr. Sizer facilitated last month's meeting with more than 20 regional sheriffs, police chiefs and coroners in attendance.
"We are engaging with our regional law enforcement leadership and hospital systems to address protocol for people in crisis," said Dr. Sizer. "We are aware of the problems on this matter, including transportation issues and lack of inpatient capacity. We want to put a process in place to significantly reduce the gaps in services throughout the northeast Louisiana region."
Click here to read more about our work in coordinating care for people in crisis. |
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NE Delta HSA Awarded Magellan Seed Grant to Implement 2015 Delta Solutions Rural Health Summit |
NE Delta HSA will conduct and host the Delta Solutions Rural Health Summit and workshop this year to address social stigmas associated with behavioral healthcare access, support services and recovery. The Summit will focus on healthcare disparities and how to better unite the continuum of care and access among the rural communities of northeastern Louisiana.
We will also collect and analyze data from the Summit's activities, characteristics and outcomes. This will enable us to identify areas of focus for improvements and help us more efficiently realize our goals for our citizens as we continue to expand services across rural parishes.
Some of the goals of this summit include: identification of additional community resources to foster recovery and disseminate resources that reduce mental health stigma, share and propose best practices for the home, schools, the workplace and communities to participate in coordinated care and expand support services, and demonstrate the economic impact of bridging social systems.
Deepening the understanding of stigma, cultural norms, ethnic challenges, fragmented systems and coordination of resources helps communities, especially rural areas, develop a holistic approach to treating and supporting recovery.
If you would like more information about how to participate in the Delta Solutions Rural Health Summit, please contact Avius.Zimmerman@la.gov
NE Delta HSA Writes for SAMHSA Integrated Care Grant
In February, NE Delta HSA staff worked diligently writing and applying for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration grant. We are eagerly waiting to hear whether we will receive this grant award. The grant would help implement additional programs to serve people in our region. It would establish even greater access and improved care experiences for our citizens. It would also complement and greatly enhance the coordinated and integrated care services NE Delta HSA has already put in place. This program will even better address health outcomes for individuals with mental health and substance abuse issues, whether they are first seen in behavioral or primary healthcare settings.
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Northeast Delta HSA and Louisiana DHH Provide Healthcare "State of the Region" at Public Forum |
NE Delta HSA and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) hosted its annual Substance Abuse and Treatment Services Public Forum in April. Dr. Sizer led a dialogue that enabled healthcare providers to voice some of their concerns and issues that we face regionally.
Dr. Rochelle Head-Dunham, DHH Assistant Secretary and Medical Director, updated attendees about the upcoming fiscal year 2016 transition to the Bayou Health Managed Care Organizations model.
"We're working with DHH to effectively navigate this transitional period," said Dr. Sizer. "We're seeking to build a stronger network and use innovation and collaboration to ensure that our citizens' health will prosper across our region."
Click here to read more about the Substance Abuse and Treatment Services Public Forum
NE Delta HSA Developmental Disabilities Team Conducts Quarterly Meetings
NE Delta HSA conducted its Quarterly Developmental Disabilities Provider meeting last month at the Monroe Public Safety Complex. Speakers included Dr. Attapol Kuanliang of The University of Louisiana at Monroe and Mark Thomas, DHH Assistant Secretary of the Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities, who discussed the Bayou Health Plan transition to managed care for developmental disabilities services.
At its Quarterly Meeting in January, attendees were welcomed by NE Delta HSA Developmental Disabilities Director Jennifer Purvis. Speakers were Warren Hebert of the HomeCare Association of LA, Anthony Jacola - Regional Advisory Committee Chair, and Brandi Croft of NE Delta HSA Family Support. |
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Northeast Delta HSA Discusses Collaboration at Louisiana Housing Alliance Conference |
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Dr. Sizer served as a panelist at the annual Louisiana Housing Alliance conference last month in Baton Rouge. The conference focused on "The Impact of Home" and effective community development through the integration of disciplines.
At the conference, panelists shared best practices of collaboration and information about building sustainable partnerships in healthcare. The group also discussed facets of affordable healthcare and its financial implications, along with how to evaluate and design quality improvement systems.
Click here to read more about the Louisiana Housing Alliance conference. |
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NE Delta HSA Encourages Collaboration at New Day Recovery Community Resources Leadership Event |
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Dr. Sizer spoke at a New Day Recovery Community Resources meeting in March to an audience of faith-based leaders and healthcare providers.
"We engage faith-based communities in our efforts because the contribution they can make is significant to provide hope that further stabilizes traditional mental health services," said Dr. Sizer.
Click here to read more about the New Day Recovery event. |
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Unitech Students Now Working within NE Delta HSA Peer Support Centers |
We are excited to now have Unitech students working within our peer support centers! Students studying to become medical and dental assistants and pharmacy technicians further complement the services provided at our centers throughout the region, and the students have the opportunity to engage with our citizens!
Peer support centers provide another entry point into integrated behavioral and primary care for our citizens.
Click here to read more about our peer support centers. |
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Northeast Delta Human Services Authority and Partners Build Coalition in Union Parish
NE Delta HSA, through a grant award from DHH-OBH to help reduce underage drinking and prescription pill usage in Union Parish, met with local business and governmental leaders recently to begin its Louisiana Partnerships for Success initiative. NE Delta HSA has partnered with The Children's Coalition for Northeast Louisiana and Louisiana Tech University's North Central Alliance Partners for Prevention. This work targets reduction of underage drinking and prescription pill use among the aged 12-25 population, and aims to reduce depression and suicide rates in Union Parish.
Click here to read more about the Union Parish Collaborative.
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NE Delta HSA Website Wins Addy Award
NE Delta HSA is honored that our website won an Addy Award at the Advertising Club of Northeast Louisiana's Addy Awards in February. The Ad Club is a chapter of the American Advertising Federation. In 2014, NE Delta HSA Communications won three MarCom Gold awards for its website, communications materials and its communications & public relations program. NE Delta HSA also won a 2014 Aesculapius Award of Excellence for its website. The Aesculapius Award is designed to promote and encourage excellence in communication about health lifestyles, disease prevention and health care treatments.
Heartfelt thanks to Alliance One Advertising for helping us capture our inspirational and transformational objectives. Our ultimate goal is to bring critical information to people in our communities. Click here to find more information about the services we provide.
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NE Delta HSA Launches New Intranet Site for Staff
We are so proud of our BRAND NEW Intranet site! Here's a screen shot of Inside NEDHSA, designed to help our staff become even better informed and equipped to serve the citizens of our region.
We Welcome our New Clinical Services Director, Martha Phillips
Martha joined NE Delta HSA in February. She provides operational oversight to our eight outpatient behavioral health clinics and four peer support centers. Her management responsibilities include clinical staff development, training, and quality of services monitoring. She is also helping to implement the NE Delta HSA behavioral and primary care integration initiative. Using evidence-based practices, Martha also examines, diagnoses and treats NE Delta HSA behavioral health clients. Before joining NE Delta HSA, she served as the Behavioral Health Unit Manager at University Health-Conway (UHC). She previously worked as a Registered Nurse at UHC for nearly 20 years. She has served as a psychiatric field nurse for more than a decade, worked in child and adolescence mental health rehabilitation, geriatric and psychiatric community health and she has taught nursing at the university level.
Martha is a full-time doctoral student, and enjoys reading inspirational literature when she's not poring over research articles, statistical data and nursing journals. Martha is a certified Family Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner, an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse and a Registered Nurse. She earned a Master's Degree in Psychiatric Nursing from the University of Louisiana, Lafayette and a Master's Degree in Nursing from Grambling State University. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Grambling State University. |
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Take a look at our Social Media pages!
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NE Delta HSA staff made lots of new friends at the LA Purchase Zoo Society Easter Eggstravaganza. |
NE Delta HSA was proud to participate in the 34th Annual Black Heritage Parade in Monroe in March. The organization's 2015 parade theme of "Have a vision - be demanding" was displayed by all participants! |
Thanks to the NE Delta HSA staff for generously contributing to the United Way Louisiana State Combined Charitable Campaign. Donations exceeded $11,000 and undoubtedly make a difference in our communities. NE Delta HSA Human Resources Director Demetrius Roberts and Human Resources Specialist Sharla Coates are pictured here! |
Caring for people in crisis is one of our major initiatives. NE Delta HSA has been recognized for outstanding and invaluable training and service by the Northeast Delta Crisis Intervention Team (CIT). CIT promotes safety and understanding when dealing with persons in a crisis to all concerned - consumers, communities, and law enforcement.
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NE Delta HSA celebrated its 1100th Facebook follower with a giveaway prize pack recently. Check our Facebook page regularly for news and future giveaways!!
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2513 Ferrand Street | Monroe, LA 71201
Office: 318-362-3270 | Fax: 318-362-3268
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Copyright © 2015. All Rights Reserved.
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