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HLS 26RS-2499 ENGROSSED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 76
BY REPRESENTATIVE MILLER
HEALTH CARE: Continues the Health Inequities and Disparities in Rural Areas Task
Force
1 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
2 To continue the Health Inequities and Disparities in Rural Areas Task Force created in the
3 2022 Regular Session of the Legislature of Louisiana pursuant to House Concurrent
4 Resolution No. 44 to identify and study key health issues affecting rural areas and
5 develop strategies to improve health outcomes for rural and underserved
6 communities and to submit a written report to the House and Senate committees on
7 health and welfare by February 1, 2027.
8 WHEREAS, according to the United States Centers for Disease Control and
9 Prevention, overall health outcomes for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and
10 American Indians in this country are far poorer than for white people; and
11 WHEREAS, vast health disparities persist in this country, particularly in rural areas,
12 and many have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic; and
13 WHEREAS, rural areas comprise roughly eighty percent of Louisiana's total
14 geographic area; and
15 WHEREAS, nearly twenty-six percent of our state's population, totaling more than
16 one million two hundred thousand Louisianans, live in rural communities; and
17 WHEREAS, sixty-three of Louisiana's sixty-four parishes are classified as health
18 professional shortage areas according to the standards of the federal Health Resources and
19 Services Administration; and
20 WHEREAS, approximately ninety-eight percent of this state's entire population lives
21 in a federally designated health professional shortage area; and
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HCR NO. 76
1 WHEREAS, the vast majority of Louisiana's rural communities are medically
2 underserved by all established measures, yet programs to address the healthcare needs of this
3 population remain underfunded and few are guided by local stakeholders or locally
4 conducted needs assessments; and
5 WHEREAS, a coordinated effort is required to improve the health of individuals
6 living in the rural areas of this state.
7 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
8 create the Health Disparities in Rural Areas Task Force.
9 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall be composed of the
10 following members:
11 (1) The president of the board of directors of the Louisiana State Nurses Association
12 or his designee.
13 (2) One member who possesses postgraduate degrees in both nursing and business
14 administration appointed by the director of clinical practice, health policy, and advocacy of
15 the Louisiana State Nurses Association.
16 (3) The executive director of the Louisiana State Board of Nursing or his designee.
17 (4) The executive director of the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners or his
18 designee.
19 (5) The dean of the Southern University School of Nursing or his designee.
20 (6) The president of the board of directors of the Louisiana Association of Nurse
21 Practitioners or his designee.
22 (7) The chief executive officer of the Louisiana State Medical Society or his
23 designee.
24 (8) The chief operating officer of the Rural Hospital Coalition, Inc. or his designee.
25 (9) The president of the Louisiana Hospital Association or his designee.
26 (10) The executive director of the Louisiana Rural Health Association or his
27 designee.
28 (11) The executive director of the Louisiana Primary Care Association or his
29 designee.
30 (12) The secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health or his designee.
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1 (13) The president of the board of directors of the Louisiana Managed Medicaid
2 Association or his designee.
3 (14) The state director of AARP Louisiana or his designee.
4 (15) A certified nurse midwife appointed by the executive director of the Louisiana
5 State Board of Nursing.
6 (16) The president of the board of directors of the Louisiana Academy of Family
7 Physicians or his designee.
8 (17) One primary care physician from each of the six Louisiana congressional
9 districts appointed by the president of the board of directors of the Louisiana Academy of
10 Family Physicians.
11 (18) The president of the Louisiana Council of Administrators in Nursing Education
12 or his designee.
13 (19) The one member for the Clinicians of Color Working Group.
14 (20) One member of the Louisiana Managed Medicaid Association selected by the
15 board of directors of the Louisiana Managed Medicaid Association.
16 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the duties of the task force shall include, without
17 limitation, all of the following:
18 (1) Identifying the key drivers of health disparities in rural areas.
19 (2) Considering social determinants of health in developing recommendations for
20 delivering high-quality health care in rural areas.
21 (3) Studying practicable solutions for reducing healthcare provider shortages in rural
22 communities of Louisiana.
23 (4) Collaborating with health professional licensing boards of this state to draft
24 proposals for legislation that will foster greater access to care for rural residents.
25 (5) Developing proposals for healthcare workforce training initiatives which
26 promote diversity in health professions.
27 (6) Studying the impact of access to broadband internet and other technologies that
28 facilitate wider deployment of telehealth and telemedicine services and thereby improve
29 access to care in rural areas.
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1 (7) Serving as a resource for parish governments to build partnerships for
2 community outreach to address social determinants of health in rural communities.
3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall be a subcommittee of the
4 Statewide Health Equity Consortium within the Louisiana Department of Health.
5 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, at its first meeting, the task force shall select
6 from among its members a chairperson and any other officers it deems necessary.
7 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force may adopt rules of procedure and
8 any other policies as may be necessary to facilitate the work of the group.
9 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
10 president of the board of directors and the director of clinical practice, health policy, and
11 advocacy of the Louisiana State Nurses Association, the executive director of the Louisiana
12 State Board of Nursing, the executive director of the Louisiana State Board of Medical
13 Examiners, the dean of the Southern University School of Nursing, the president of the board
14 of directors of the Louisiana Association of Nurse Practitioners, the chief executive officer
15 of the Louisiana State Medical Society, the chief operating officer of the Rural Hospital
16 Coalition, Inc., the president of the Louisiana Hospital Association, the executive director
17 of the Louisiana Rural Health Association, the executive director of the Louisiana Primary
18 Care Association, the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, the president of the
19 board of directors of the Louisiana Managed Medicaid Association, the state director of
20 AARP Louisiana, the president of the board of directors of the Louisiana Academy of
21 Family Physicians, the executive director of the Clinicians of Color Working Group, and the
22 president of the Louisiana Council of Administrators in Nursing Education.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 76 Engrossed 2026 Regular Session Miller
Continues the Health Inequities and Disparities in Rural Areas Task Force as a
subcommittee of the Statewide Health Equity Consortium within the La. Dept. of Health and
establishes duties for the task force.
Requires the task force to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the House
and Senate committees on health and welfare and the David R. Poynter Legislative Research
Library on or before Feb. 1, 2027.
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