INFO:

This week hosts Mark Masselli and Margaret Flinter speak with Dr. Rebekah Gee, Louisiana Health Secretary on the state's improved storm preparedness plans based on lessons learned from the devastation in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. She talks about the robust state-wide electronic health record system created after the storm including a statewide data base of vulnerable populations for better evacuation strategies, what they've shared with other states facing weather disasters, and how expanded Medicaid has dramatically improved access to primary and preventive care in Louisiana, yielding better health outcomes.