We offer an extensive network of services for citizens living in our 12-parish region. Our special initiatives allow us to partner with local organizations, bring about non-traditional change and establish much-needed services that directly impact our region in significant ways.
Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration
Behavioral health and primary healthcare integration is a progressive approach to reaching the best outcomes in caring for people with multiple healthcare needs. Improving the physical health status of people with mental illnesses and addictions is one of our objectives here at the Northeast Delta Human Services Authority. Primary care settings have become the gateway to the behavioral health system. Primary care and behavioral care partnerships succeed when proper support and resources to screen and treat individuals with behavioral and general healthcare needs are shared between entities.
Behavioral Health and Primary Care Integration
Integrating primary and behavioral healthcare benefits our systems and our citizens through:
- Improved access to primary care services.
- Improved prevention, early identification, and intervention to reduce the incidence of serious physical illnesses, including chronic disease.
- Increased availability of integrated, holistic care for physical and behavioral disorders.
- Better overall health status of clients.
- Reduction in unmanaged healthcare cost.
- Association with a cutting-edge healthcare practice with shared benefits and the first and the first of its kind in Louisiana
Northeast Delta Human Services Authority
We are working throughout Northeast Louisiana to build a network of primary care providers who share our values in providing quality, competent and accessible care to our citizens. We have found proven success in this integration model for providing care to people with complex health needs.
Recent studies show that 68% of adults with mental illness have one or more chronic physical conditions, and 1:5 people have a mental illness or addiction. We are dedicated in meeting the complex healthcare needs of people in Northeast Louisiana.
Peer Support Centers
Peer support is an important component of the NE Delta HSA integrated health model. Peer support centers are managed day-to-day through our partner agency, Easterseals Louisiana. Our peer support centers are recovery-oriented, consumer-directed centers where citizens develop and utilize programs to supplement existing mental health and addictive disorder services to further engage in their own recovery process. Centers are managed by people who have reached an understanding of their own mental health issues and can serve as peers to others. Peer center programs include support groups, activities that provide opportunities for socialization, personal and educational enrichment, and peer support.
Partners in Employment
Partners in Employment (PIE) is an employment-based program developmental disability initiative aimed at addressing the lack of employment opportunities for persons with developmental disabilities during and after graduating from high school. PIE seeks to combat this structural inequity so that everyone who is willing to work can.
PIE supports individuals with developmental disabilities with job training, counseling, and placement. Further, it utilizes a person-centered approach to help meet individual participant needs, wants, desires, and goals to ensure positive programmatic outcomes and increased participation levels.
Prescription Take-Back Dropboxes
Located throughout the region for safe disposal of unused medication.
Opioid Misuse Abuse Prevention Program’s outreach program enriches knowledge at the community level about programs and practices aimed to reduce opioid use. Addressing real needs identified by data and increasing awareness through empowerment and connection to services. Our purpose is to engage in the deep work of attitudinal and behavioral change across our 12 parish catchment areas.
Please view the locations below.
Opportunity Zone
The Northeast Delta Human Services Authority Opportunity Zone is a strategic initiative designed to help transform fragile south Monroe communities. This initiative seeks to increase access to Northeast Delta HSA services and promote healthy community behaviors. The Northeast Delta Opportunity Zone grew out of the agency’s regional faith-based mental health community summits. The Opportunity Zone is one of several Northeast Delta-initiated regional coalitions that aim to reduce mental health and addiction prevalence, improve primary healthcare outcomes, reduce crime rates, enhance school and academic performance, equip faith and community leaders, increase job opportunities and establish and support public policies. Learn more about Opportunity Zone by clicking the button below.
SOWS Program
Northeast Delta Human Services Authority Second Opportunity Workforce Solutions (SOWS) program provides supportive employment services to citizens who are clients of Northeast Delta HSA and its integrative behavioral and primary healthcare network, including citizens who are non-violent criminal offenders and those who are being released from incarceration. This program addresses access to employment, which is a social determinant that significantly affects a person’s health and ability to thrive in society. SOWS uses evidence-based practices to develop Individual Outcome Plans which reinforce a client’s treatment progress. Job readiness skills will be provided to assist participants in achieving and maintaining employment in their community of choice.
SOWS was developed to help reduce prison recidivism and improve treatment outcomes. This program works in conjunction with the behavioral health treatment a citizen receives within the Northeast Delta clinics and provides job readiness skills and active support for finding employment. SOWS will enhance a citizen’s ability to thrive and live a healthy life within the community.
Coordinated Care for People in Crisis
Northeast Delta Human Services Authority is aiming to catalyze and improve coordinated care for people in crisis who suffer from mental health issues and addictive disorders. With this goal in mind, we are engaging law enforcement leadership and hospital systems to address the need for increased psychiatric inpatient hospital care and improve protocols for people in crisis who come in contact with police or enter emergency rooms. We are also working with judicial systems and rural hospital representatives to find innovative ways to use existing resources and further improve coordination of care, which in turn will improve services for some of our highest-need citizens.
Faith-Based Outreach
We engage faith-based communities in our efforts because of the contributions we know they can make to help stabilize traditional mental health services. Along with reaching out to citizens through faith-based approaches, we want clergy leaders to better understand their own challenges along with the challenges of their congregations. We know that faith can offset hopelessness, and with coordinated resources, we will be able to help our region grow and prosper to its full potential.
“As a government agency, we can effectively help our citizens meet many of their physical and behavioral health needs. However, the government cannot solve complex societal problems alone,” said Dr. Monteic A. Sizer. “Thus, we are calling on houses of faith to join with us as we seek to battle mental illness and addiction. When evidence-based treatment is combined with faith, our region’s people will gain a greater sense of purpose, belonging, and hope.”
To learn about Preventing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), use the link below to access Online Training for Faith, Spiritual, and Religious Communities:
https://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/apps/aces-training/#/fsr#top
Operation Golden Years
Northeast Delta HSA has launched a new initiative, Operation Golden Years, to provide increased awareness, support, and services for those sixty and above in our 12-parish region. Our vision is to enable often overlooked seniors to not just survive, but rather thrive through the “golden years” of their lives.
More than 850,000 Louisianans are over the age of 60 (nearly 19 percent of the total population). In the days ahead, we aim to leverage our services in support of enabling this population in our region to live longer, more active lives. As part of Operation Golden Years, Northeast Delta HSA offers:
• Education in the Proper Use and Disposal of Prescription Medications
• Specialized Services for Elderly Dealing with Addictive and Mental Health Disorders
• Medical Advocacy for Elderly with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities
• Opportunities to Make a Difference in the Community
NEDHSA's Transitional Housing Efforts
Northeast Delta Human Services Authority (NEDHSA)’s transitional housing efforts work to provide recovery-focused, individualized care for homeless persons in Northeast Louisiana through a partnership with Easterseals Louisiana.
NEDHSA’s transitional housing serves as another spoke in its integrated care model as it addresses the negative social determinants of health by providing case managers with linkage to mental health, substance use, and physical health providers to homeless individuals.
NEDHSA Executive Director Dr. Monteic A. Sizer said the agency is working diligently to integrate traditional mental health, developmental disability, prevention, and addictive disorder services with housing and related supports “to help meet the comprehensive needs of our clients.”
“In Northeast Louisiana, nearly 2,000 people are homeless each year. Some are homeless for a short period. Others are consistently homeless, in jail, on the street, or in shelters,” Dr. Sizer said. “Our transitional housing efforts show that we are providing the best treatment opportunities and shelter options for our friends and neighbors who find themselves homeless for whatever reason.”
NEDHSA established a partnership with Easterseals Louisiana in its transitional housing efforts as it has experience providing housing services to persons with severe mental health and substance use issues and has a proven collaborative approach and history of collaboration.
Operation Leave No Veteran Behind
Northeast Delta Human Services Authority (NEDHSA) announced its Operation Leave No Veteran Behind initiative, an effort to ensure that military veterans in Northeast Louisiana have quality and competent primary and behavioral health care.
The agency has always worked to serve the veteran population and meet its needs that stem from combat, training, and traumatic and stress-generating settings.
This initiative highlights the strategic approach to improving veteran health outcomes.
We want to do our part to ensure that our brave military veterans receive quality mental health, addictive disorder, primary care, and related social supports such as housing, employment, and food.
No military veteran should ever feel abandoned, alone, suicidal, hungry, or homeless. They should have a safety net that meets their needs.
NEDHSA plans to further partner with businesses, colleges and universities, non-profit agencies, and other governmental systems to help bring much-needed awareness and services to veterans living in Louisiana’s Delta.
Through its prevention and wellness department, NEDHSA plans to provide education and wellness resources to help veterans. Additionally, through its integrated healthcare service delivery model, NEDHSA will provide mental health, case management, employment opportunities, and work to mitigate those negative social determinants of health that hold many veterans and the general population behind.
The needs and people of our region are diverse.
Operation Leave No Veteran Behind ensures that those who served our country can get the lifesaving services they need to reach their full human potential.
Those who have honorably served our nation deserve nothing less. We intend to leave no veteran or person who needs our services behind.
LA-Re
Northeast Delta Human Services Authority’s Louisiana Reentry Program (LA-Re) was established to give nonviolent, mentally ill and addicted offenders an opportunity to get the help they need post-incarceration to avoid the high individual, family, community, and societal costs of recidivism. Additionally, LA-Re was established as a pilot program to evaluate how Northeast Delta HSA’s award-winning integrated healthcare model might positively impact the lives of those living with mental illness and addiction being released back to Northeast Louisiana communities from Louisiana’s prisons and jails.
LA-Re participants will be matched with case managers prior to their release who, in turn, will work with incarcerating facilities to establish individualized treatment and life plans at least two to three months prior to the offender being released. Treatment and life plan options include being connected to one of Northeast Delta’s seven outpatient mental health and addiction clinics, or one of three inpatient addiction service providers supported by Northeast Delta. Additionally, LA-Re participants will have access to Northeast Delta’s tobacco cessation, gambling, developmental disability, prevention, and workforce training and placement services. Participants may also be referred to one of Northeast Delta’s many regional primary healthcare partners for medical, dental, and vision care.
Art As Medicine
Northeast Delta Human Services Authority has adopted arts as one of its integrated health care, evidence-based prevention, communications, and treatment strategies to help serve persons with mental health, addictive disorders, and developmental disabilities.
NEDHSA Executive Director Dr. Monteic A Sizer said the agency “intends to help make Northeast Louisiana a regional creative hub, a preferred destination that will generate much-needed regional economic development, diversity, job creation, and more.”
“We believe there is medicine in creative expression, and the arts can help a person come alive in ways traditional treatment options can’t,” Dr. Sizer said. “We intend to help create an environment where dreams are realized, families are strong, bodies are healthy, community institutions are thriving, and spirits are renewed.”
NEDHSA has brought many art initiatives to the region, such as psychodramas, Jiggaerobics, hip hop-to-prevention efforts, and partnering with arts and communications programs at regional colleges and universities.