Rural Health Transformation in Louisiana

I’m Eli (Elia) Brodsky, Deputy Director of the Office of Rural Health Transformation and Sustainability at the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH). I lead strategy and sustainability planning for Louisiana's Rural Health Transformation Program, a federal investment of $208 million in its first year and up to an estimated $1.4 billion over 5 years.

What the program does

The program funds 6 initiatives built around what rural Louisianans need to get care close to home: a stronger rural health workforce, modern technology and shared health records, payment models that reward better care, community nutrition and chronic disease prevention, access to behavioral health, telehealth and aging services, and investment in rural facilities.

My role

1. Set strategy and sustainability plans so each investment can keep going after federal funding ends.

2. Lead the team that runs the program day to day: budget, contracts, data and program management across all 6 initiatives.

3. Built the metrics and data collection systems used to launch the program and report results to CMS.

4. Work across LDH (Medicaid, the Office of Public Health, the Office of the Secretary, the Office of Behavioral Health and the Office of Aging and Adult Services) and with state partners including ConnectLA and Louisiana Economic Development.

Why it matters to me

Before LDH, I spent 3 years at Ascension's DePaul Community Health Centers in New Orleans and 9 years building a biotech company. Both taught me that good programs only last if someone has planned how they'll pay for themselves. That's the standard I bring to this work.

Learn more

Louisiana Rural Health Atlas: rhtla.net | LDH Rural Health Transformation: ldh.la.gov