Woman’s Hospital in Baton Rouge is opening a new inpatient mental health unit for pregnant and postpartum women. The unit is the first of its kind for Louisiana and one of only four nationally. The Times Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate’s Andrea Galllo explains how access to mental health treatment for new moms can help bring down the state’s unacceptably high rates of maternal mortality:
Cheri Johnson, the hospital’s chief nursing officer, said that as she works on a state committee to review maternal deaths, she often sees an inflection point where mental health treatment could have changed a patient’s trajectory. Louisiana’s Pregnancy Associated Mortality Review found that mental health was a factor in 20% of pregnancy-related deaths in 2020, the most recent year for which data is available.
Gallo reports on the far reach the new unit will have:
The mental health unit will accept patients from across the state — and perhaps other states — regardless of insurance status. Around 75% of women admitted are expected to be on Medicaid; Louisiana has the nation’s highest rate of Medicaid births.
High homeowners insurance threatens affordable housing
The skyrocketing cost of homeowners insurance is threatening access to affordable housing across the nation. Owners of subsidized apartments, which are protected from rising rents, are being forced to sell their properties to new landlords who can charge full market rates. Developers of subsidized single-family homes are finding that fewer low-income people can afford mortgages because of high insurance premiums. The New York Times’ Emily Flitter reports:
This is a terrible time to be shedding affordable housing units, experts say. The U.S. housing market needs up to six million more of them, “so the more affordable housing units we lose to the market-rate sector, that just exacerbates the current affordable housing crisis that we’re facing,” said Lisa Rice, the president of the National Fair Housing Alliance. And the lost units aren’t likely to be replaced quickly. The crushing math of insurance costs is starting to imperil new projects that rely on federal tax breaks for funding.
Summer food assistance alleviates hardships
Nearly 600,000 low-income children in Louisiana will receive summer feeding benefits through the Louisiana SUN Bucks program. Tiandra Fields, community advocate for Save the Children Action Network, and a single mother of three children, in a letter to the Times Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate, explains the benefits that her family has experienced from having extra money to buy food.
Having grocery support during the months my children were out of school provided essential relief, ensuring my children consistent access to nutritious food during a time when my financial pressures were exacerbated by an increase in expenses. This support helped my family bridge the gap, allowing me to focus on other priorities without the added stress of food insecurity. … The Sun Bucks program ensured that my children and others in similar circumstances had a greater likelihood of returning to school healthy, well and prepared to learn.
Parents and guardians can still receive summer grocery money through the Louisiana SUN Bucks program, but the deadline to apply is Sept. 20. Learn more and apply here.
Family and child tax credits by state
Louisiana is one of 31 states to have its own version of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Unfortunately, the Pelican State does not have a state child tax credit (CTC). A new tool from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities provides a breakdown of EITC and CTCs by state and explains why policy leaders should continue enacting and expanding tax credits aimed at helping children and families.
State child tax credits and EITCs build on the success of both federal credits by helping families afford the basics and reducing poverty; this, in turn, helps them thrive in the long run through improved child and maternal health, school achievement, and other benefits, research has found.
Number of the Day
5% – Percentage of Louisiana children who are up-to-date on Covid immunizations, the lowest in the nation. (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention via the Times Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate)