LSU Health Sciences Center - School of Public Health

1615 Poydras Street

Suite 1400, Room 1553

New Orleans, LA 70112

• Phone (504) 568-5953
• Fax (504) 568-5701
• http://publichealth.lsuhsc.edu/LAMC/
• partea@lsuhsc.edu

The Louisiana State University Health Science Center School of Public Health (LSUHSC SPH) is a
Models for Change university partner tasked with assessing, planning and disseminating, through training and supported implementation, Evidenced-Based Community Services. Via Louisiana Models for Change, LSUHSC is focusing on evidence-based practices specifically because these practices offer an opportunity to improve public safety by offering interventions that work at reducing recidivism and improving youth and family functioning. These practices are also cost-effective when compared to the price of incarceration or providing non-research supported interventions.

Project Focus
Louisiana has relied heavily on institutional care for youth involved in the juvenile justice system. This
includes a reliance on these placements for moderate and low level offenders (currently more than 54
percent are incarcerated for non-violent offenses) in addition to those whose primary problems were
exacerbated and/or caused by mental illness or substance abuse. To date, Louisiana’s mental health and substance abuse services available in the communities to youth and their families have been severely lacking.

Our focus supports less reliance on institutional care with increased availability of community-based
alternatives that are proven to meet the needs of justice-involved youth. As a key part of this new
initiative, an evidence-driven decision-making system should screen, assess and refer youth to the most appropriate community treatment program. This process must be fair and unbiased for all youth, while also protecting the safety of the community by providing the appropriate level of supervision and reducing the risk for re-offending.

Progress to Date
To further these initiatives:

• LSUHSC SPH will support the implementation of identified evidence-based programs to meet the
  identified needs of youth and families involved in the juvenile justice system by continuing to
  provide training and implementation support for evidence-based practices for agencies and
  juvenile justice providers.
• LSUHSC SPH will lead an interagency team to continue the expansion of state-level support for
  evidence-based practices throughout Louisiana.
• LSUHSC SPH is committed to help establish and disseminate an evidence-based practice toolkit
  that can be implemented by agencies or groups as well as individual providers. The toolkit will be
  available to the agencies and providers through web-based technology.
• LSUHSC SPH continues to work with state agencies and providers to maintain the sustainability ofLouisiana’s growth in the utilization of evidence-based practices in the juvenile justice and relatedbehavioral health systems.

Site Leadership
For more information about the Models for Change LSUHSC School of Public Health grant, contact
Patricia Arteaga at 504.568.5953 or at partea@lsuhsc.edu.