The Louisiana Department of Health's (LDH) Office of Public Health (OPH) for Region 8 (Northeast Louisiana) will hold an open house from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, March 31 at Franklin Parish Health Unit, 6614 Main St., Winnsboro.

The open house is an opportunity for the community to learn about the health unit and its services, and to meet its staff. The open house will feature resource tables and visitors will have access to their immunization records. COVID-19 and flu vaccinations from Pafford Medical Services and information about the Community HealthWays program will also be available.

The recent passage of the 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act ends continuous Medicaid coverage. As a result, beginning in April 2023, Medicaid will re-start reviewing eligibility and closing anyone who is not eligible. We want everyone who is eligible for Medicaid to maintain their coverage. It is vital that Medicaid members make certain Medicaid has their current contact information. Navigators for Louisiana Medicaid will be on site to assist with updating your information and with the re-enrollment process. Medicaid members may also update their information by logging on to healthy.la.gov.

“We are excited for the public to have this opportunity to meet us as we seek to serve our community and help spread the word that our doors are open,” said OPH Assistant Secretary Doris Brown. “We know people rely on our facilities for treatment and prevention, and we encourage you to take the time to visit during this open house to learn what we have to offer.”

For more information, contact Franklin Parish Health Unit at (318) 435-2143 or Region 8 Communications Coordinator Ana VanEaton at (318) 676-7842. 

About parish health units

Parish health units (PHUs) are operated by the Louisiana Department of Health and provide limited medical and clinical services for our communities. There are 63 PHUs across the state of Louisiana. Each health unit offers services tailored to its surrounding community. Services offered by PHUs include immunizations; reproductive health; Women, Infants and Children (WIC) services; sexually-transmitted infection (STI) treatment and testing; well-woman visits; Community HealthWays; and more. PHUs accept most insurance, Medicaid and Medicare, and offer a sliding-scale fee for services. No one is ever turned away for an inability to pay. Parish health units provide translation services to better assist those with language barriers and are certified through Louisiana Relay to assist those with hearing and speech difficulties.