Tuesday meeting's purpose is 'dental, not mental,' LSU says | NOLA ...

A Tuesday night meeting at the LSU School of Dentistry that is scheduled to be the target of a protest won?t be what demonstrators have been led to believe. A release is urging people to use the Department of Health and Hospitals forum to protest the closing of the state-run Southeast Louisiana Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Mandeville.

But the meeting?s purpose is ?dental, not mental,? according to a statement from the dental school, and no DHH staff members will be on hand to talk about the hospital, department spokeswoman Meghan Speakes said.

Nevertheless, the protest will go on as scheduled, said Brad Ott, one of the organizers, starting with a 6 p.m. press conference in front of the building at 11000 Florida Ave., possibly with people affected by the hospital?s closing, and continuing at the meeting itself.

?Our plan is to raise the issue with DHH,? he said. ?We are trying to be hospitable and welcoming. ? We?re not interested in keeping people away from the dental discussion.?

The session, which is to start at 6:30 p.m., will be used to discuss a change in dental services for some Medicaid recipients, Speakes said.

Starting in the fall, she said, DHH will include coverage of dental care for Louisianians enrolled in these Medicaid plans: Amerigroup, LaCare and Louisiana Healthcare Connections.

Medicaid participants in the other two plans, Community Health Solutions and United Healthcare Community Plan, will continue receiving dental treatment in Medicaid?s fee-for-service program, Speakes said.

No one will be added to the Medicaid rolls as a result of this change, which, she said, is designed to be seamless for the 900,000 participants statewide.

In addition to providing information about coverage of dental care, Speakes said, DHH representatives will be on hand to field questions.

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John Pope can be reached at jpope@timespicayune.com or 504.826.3317.

Source: http://www.nola.com/health/index.ssf/2012/07/tuesday_meetings_purpose_is_de.html

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