Lincoln Parish, home of Louisiana Tech University and Grambling State University, is nestled in North Central Louisiana and is known as one of the most affluent and progressive parishes in Louisiana. (Note: While 48 of the 50 states are made up of counties, Alaska has 18 “boroughs” and Louisiana has 64 “parishes.”)
With about 25,000 people, Ruston—the largest city in Lincoln Parish—is the epitome of a college community, with all of the advantages and challenges of a transient, young population.
The Lincoln Health Foundation (LHF) is a private foundation funded by the profits from the 2007 sale of Lincoln General Hospital to Community Health Systems, and it is the Foundation’s mission “to improve healthcare and outcomes for the residents of Lincoln Parish.”
As part of the approval process for the Foundation’s new organizational structure and purpose from a supporting foundation to a a healthcare conversion foundation, the Louisiana Attorney General stipulated that proceeds from the sale of the hospital could only be used to improve the healthcare of residents in Lincoln Parish. This created urgency for LHF to determine and meet the needs of the Parish. So, in the fall of 2008, LHF partnered with PRC to conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment.
“This was a significants accomplishment for us,” says Lincoln Health Foundation CEO Norman Hanes. “Fortunately, we had heard about PRC from some other foundations in the area, so we knew who we wanted to do the work for us.”
The Lincoln Health Foundation used the results from the assessment to set a course and developed three major initiatives: Healthier Beginnings, Healthier Living, and Healthier Outcomes & Improved Access to Healthcare.
Healthier Beginnings
“Our data showed a huge infant mortality rate here, which was quite surprising,” says Hanes. There was an annual average of 15.1 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in Lincoln Parish, a much higher rate than that of the entire state of Louisiana (9.7).
“No one knew what a big problem this was, but it appeared that the problem correlated to the number of unplanned and unwed teen pregnancies due to the large young population.” A total of 46.2% of Lincoln Parish births were to unmarried mothers, while 13.9% of births were to women under the age of 20.
Because of this high infant mortality rate found in their data, LHF began funding the Growing Great Kids™ program, a home-based parenting and early childhood outreach program, originally developed by Great Kids, Inc.
“We knew this program was very successful, especially in Kentucky. It was a proven system, so we adopted it,” explains Hanes.
The Growing Great Kids™ program is run by Life Choices of North Central Louisiana. Case and family workers meet with people in their homes to teach them about everything from prenatal care to nutrition and empathetic parenting.
In 2011, the first year the program was in place, 25 families benefited from it. This is the second year of using the program, and they are on track to help 40 families.
“While we don’t have follow-up statistics to show our success rate, we think this has been a very successful program,’ says Hanes, “especially in conjunction with the Mentoring of Moms (MOMs) program, which is also run by Life Choices of North Central Louisiana.”
MOMs matches volunteers with young at-risk mothers and mothers-to-be. The volunteers mentor these women to help guide them to positive outcomes—encouraging prenatal care, proper nutrition and more. Hanes says they’re also starting to match male mentors to young fathers—so there’s more involvement right from the start.
“There’s still so much more to do in this area,” he explains. “We’re working on finding ways to educate young people on preventing unwed teen pregnancy in the first place, which also falls under the Healthier Living Initiative. It’s a big undertaking.”
One of their sources for ideas and information comes from First Things First®, an award-winning nonprofit organization based in Chattanooga, TN.
“We don’t want to reinvent the wheel,” explains Hanes. “We do the research to see who has had success in the areas we need to work on. Then, we can adopt or adapt these programs to fit our needs.”
Healthier Living
Weight loss and better nutrition are the main focus of the Healthier Living Initiative, which LHF is funding primarily through school-based education. They’re also educating teachers about nutrition and providing incentives to be good role models for their students. That way, children are getting a more consistent message about how to lead healthier lives.
“It’s all ongoing, but the school-based initiative really culminated just a few months ago, at the beginning of this school year,” says Hanes. “The school menus throughout Lincoln Parish were completely renovated.”
Schools are now offering healthier food options, monitoring portion sizes, providing nutrition education in cafeterias and reducing or removing fried foods—all while ensuring an appealing presentation.
The education doesn’t stop at the schools, though. LHF is also working to educate parents about nutrition and physical activity, while increasing opportunities to get out and move. This includes funding scholarships for sports, developing playgrounds, and creating sidewalks and bike paths in neighborhoods throughout Lincoln Parish.
Healthier Outcomes & Improved Access to Healthcare Services
Within the parish, there is a big population with no health insurance (20% of adults aged 18 to 64), and people with Medicare often have to go as far as 30 miles to receive care. LHF funding helps take healthcare to the people with a mobile health clinic run by The Health Hut through Linking the Parish, Inc.
The Health Hut was the brainchild of Dr. Leonel Lacayo, who shared his passion for helping people without medical care. With the assistance of an LHF board member, Lacayo reviewed the Community Health Needs Assessment data to determine whether a program to help the uninsured could be created, and how it could be done.
The need was definitely there, so Lacayo and his wife, Lisa, came up with a solid plan to improve access to healthcare in Lincoln Parish with a mobile health clinic. They travel to different locations every day to provide screening and medical services, with more than 2,500 patients receiving care after just one year of service.
“It’s made a big impact within our Parish,” Hanes says. “Dr. Lacayo was Rural Healthcare Provider of the Year, and Harvard Medical School recently invited him to be a presenter at a convention hosted by the Office of Minority Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.”
Schools are also part of the overall plan to create a healthier community and improve access to healthcare services. Dental screenings (see sidebar) and mental health services are offered to students throughout the Lincoln Parish community. The screenings are funded through LHF’s Health Enterprise to Assist Lincoln’s Students (HEALS).
HEALS also funds a mental health counselor to help troubled students. The counselor gets to the root of the student’s problems and helps them obtain immediate access to mental health assistance. HEALS pays the counselor’s salary, purchase supplies and assessment instruments, and even provides professional development opportunities.
Moving Forward
Hanes says they have seen evidence that every one of these programs has made a real impact on Lincoln Parish. “We work with school systems and other organizations, s owe do know there is a reduction in absenteeism, behavioral issues and ER visits. We’ve deployed $2.5 million so far, and we’re seeing results.”
The LHF is planning to do a follow-up assessment within the next few years so they have the data to support their efforts. A new assessment will also provide the next set of data to let them know where future grant money should be spent.
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