Louisiana health officials to talk about new initiatives, priorities for agency

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Leaders from the Louisiana Department of Health, including new Secretary Bruce Greenstein, will highlight its priorities and new initiatives Monday afternoon.

Greenstein was reappointed as secretary by Gov. Jeff Landry on April 11. He previously served in the role during the Gov. Bobby Jindal administration. His professional experience includes working in the public and private sectors in health care for the last 30 years.

Surgeon General Ralph Abraham said Greenstein is a “critical addition” to the team as the agency aims to bring change in the state. Health officials said there is a need to shift focus away from vaccine promotion and to broader health care concerns. A Feb. 13 memo emphasized informed consent and doctor-patient discussions as the primary approach to vaccination.

“We will be a unified front that takes a creative approach to improving health outcomes and providing better services to Louisiana residents,” Abraham said.

A state audit flagged more than $250 million in questioned federal costs and repeated deficiencies in Medicaid oversight and financial reporting. According to the report released this month, LDH resolved only one of the prior year’s audit findings. Ten issues from last year remained unresolved.

Over the weekend, the first measles case for 2025 in Louisiana was reported. LDH confirmed the case involved an unvaccinated New Orleans patient who was exposed to measles during an international trip. Outbreaks have been confirmed in multiple states, including neighboring state Texas.

Watch LDH leaders’ announcement live at 4 p.m. CT

Greenstein, Abraham and the agency’s executive management team will discuss new initiatives in a Baton Rouge press conference at 4 p.m. Monday, April 21.

Louisiana First News will stream updates live in this article.

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