Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate.
COVID-19 continues to have an unprecedented impact on our community, including our schools. As Louisiana continues its phased reopening, Ochsner Health has been working with the Louisiana Department of Education, local schools and school systems to provide guidance and support in anticipation of schools reopening this Fall. While the COVID-19 situation is continuously evolving, one element remains constant when considering how to safely return to school - that is the need to ensure the safety and wellbeing of every child and educator across this state while resuming formal education in the best way possible.
While our Ochsner school health team believes the occurrence of sporadic cases of COVID-19 within schools may be inevitable, our goal is to offer expertise on education-specific mitigation tactics that will strive to reduce or eliminate disruption to education whenever feasible. We commend the Louisiana Department of Education on the recent release of its 2020 – 2021 School Reopening guidelines and we see this resource as an important step in preparing schools for a safe return to “in person” education this Fall.
We at Ochsner Health look forward to continued collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Education, local schools and school systems as we work toward our common goal of fostering safe school environments during the pandemic in which every student, faculty and staff member can thrive and learn together.
William “Billy” Lennarz, MD, FAAP, MMM
System Chair, Pediatrics
Ochsner Health/Ochsner Hospital for Children