Happy Holidays!

As we prepare for the holiday break, here is a quick update on the policy campaigns we're working on in Louisiana. When we return from the holidays, we will have ten weeks before the 2018 Louisiana legislative session begins. We will need your help to spread the word about our legislative agenda!

Action Needed

• Please invite your friends and family to follow @YouretheCureLA  on Twitter and to like American Heart Association - Louisiana on Facebook for the latest advocacy news. Feel free to share or retweet any posted information on your work or personal social media accounts.
• PULSE BR is the young professionals committee of the American Heart Association’s Capital Area charged with engaging others to live healthier lives. The group promotes heart health through various activities focused on fitness and nutrition. PULSE BR members are dedicated to spreading awareness about heart disease, stroke and the associated community impact through their social and fundraising events. PULSE BR supports research, education, and advocacy efforts provided by the American Heart Association. Please share! Contact [email protected] with questions.

Key Dates

The 2018 Regular Legislative Session will convene at noon on Monday, March 12, 2018. Read the 2018 Regular Session bulletin. Legislation for the 2018 Regular Session must be requested by Wednesday, February 28 and pre-filed by the 5PM deadline on Friday, March 2.

Campaign Updates

State Campaigns

Telephone CPR (T-CPR): Telecommunicators are the true, first responders and a critical link in the cardiac arrest chain of survival. It is the telecommunicator, in partnership with the caller, who can identify a patient in cardiac arrest, providing the initial level of care by delivering telephone CPR (T-CPR) instructions to the caller, and quickly dispatching the appropriate level of help. It is through these actions that the telecommunicator can make the difference between life and death. In the upcoming legislative session, the American Heart Association will work with state legislators to develop a statute requiring all 911 telecommunicators that provide dispatch for emergency medical conditions be trained in the delivery of high quality telephone CPR. “High-Quality Telephone CPR (T-CPR) Instruction” is the delivery by trained 911 telecommunicators of high quality CPR instruction for acute events requiring CPR, including but not limited to, out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA). Contact [email protected] with questions.

Smoke Free Louisiana: In 2006, the Louisiana Legislature passed the Louisiana Smoke Free Air Act. Although the legislation prohibited smoking in most workplaces, the bill excluded bars and casinos statewide, but gave local governing authorities the power to pass local smoke free ordinances. With each additional local ordinance passed, the need for a strong, statewide law becomes for viable to finally close this policy gap. As a leader among the Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Louisiana (CTFLA), the American Heart Association will work to ensure smoke free workplaces for all Louisianans during the upcoming session. If you or volunteers would like to be engaged, please email [email protected].

Local Campaigns

Smoke Free Air – Lake Charles: The Coalition for a Tobacco-Free Louisiana (CTFLA) has begun grassroots activities in the city of Lake Charles. Having volunteer-based support to push council members to consider a smoke free ordinance is imperative. If you or volunteers live in Lake Charles and would like to be engaged, please email [email protected].

In Other News

• Louisiana Medicaid program running under-budget this year (TheAdvocate.com) 
• Audit: Louisiana sees assets drop by billions amid fund sweeps, revenue declines (TheAdvocate.com)