Teche Action turns 45

Governor John Bel Edwards made an appearance at Teche Action Clinic’s 45th anniversary celebration Friday at the Pavilion at Cypress Bayou Casino.
Edwards remarked that during his administration there have been more people able to afford health insurance in Louisiana than ever before due to his expansion of Medicaid, saying, “You know, that was the easiest big decision I have ever had to make.”
He lambasted former Governor Bobby Jindal for “refusing to expand Medicaid because he couldn’t afford to do it” and for “leaving me a $2 billion budget deficit.”
“Yet,” he continued, “I expanded Medicaid on my very first day.
“So, maybe he (Jindal) couldn’t afford to do it because he didn’t know what the hell he was doing.”
He said that there are more people in Louisiana with health insurance than ever in the state’s history.
“I have no doubt that as I stand before you tonight,” Edwards declared, “there are people in this state that wouldn’t be alive if we had not expanded Medicaid.”
He then went on to deride his gubernatorial opponent Eddie Rispone, and urged attendees to vote on Saturday.
The evening’s keynote speaker was Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health Dr. Rebekah Gee.
Gee began by lauding Edwards’ expansion of Medicaid, and said her department is looking to retool Medicaid, so that it may provide addiction treatment, disability services and maternity coverage.
“We cannot forget how important it is to vote,” Gee said, dovetailing with Edwards’ remarks. “Elections have consequences.
“We are improving lives. We are improving health. We are improving opportunity, and we are going to win.”
Following Gee, State Representative Sam Jones gave what he called, “maybe my last speech I’ll give in public office.”
He praised Gee for her courage and tenacity in reportedly facing down a House of Representatives vote to keep her from serving as Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health due to her schedule being so whelmed with parental, practicing physicians, and management head responsibilities.
And to his constituents, Jones, choking up, said, “I just want to thank you for supporting me all these years. I have never forgotten you while I was up there (Baton Rouge), and I never will!”
Teche Action Clinic was founded in 1974 with a grant of $35,000.
They now operate with a budget of $22 million with 15 locations across six parishes, with a new location to be built soon in Gramercy.