State lawmakers have moved forward a bill that would create a new Office of Health and Nutrition within the Louisiana Department of Health, part of a bigger push to focus on diet and exercise to move the needle on the state’s poor health metrics.
The proposal, Senate Bill 219 by state Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, cleared the Health and Welfare Committee Wednesday without objection.
The bill would create a new office under the supervision of the health secretary and led by an executive director, with authority to coordinate programs that already exist across the department.
“We’ve never put together the cause and effect of food policy with our chronic disease prevention and treatment policy,” said LDH Secretary Bruce Greenstein. “To bring what was once buried in bureaucracy up to the top to really put a focus on it — that’s what this is about.”
Secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health Bruce Greenstein speaks during a Senate Health & Welfare and Insurance Committees hearing at the State Capitol on Tuesday, December 16, 2025.
Javier Gallegos
The office would coordinate efforts related to nutrition, health care access, chronic disease prevention and physical fitness, reflecting a broader shift toward prevention-focused health policy that aligns with the “Make America Healthy Again” movement championed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. under President Donald Trump’s administration.
That includes the Bureau of Chronic Disease and Public Health Access and the Bureau of Nutrition Services, which oversee initiatives tied to diabetes prevention and management, oral health, asthma control, cardiovascular disease, tobacco cessation, healthy aging and school-based health environments.
The bill would also move the state’s “Well Spot” designation program, which recognizes workplaces and community spaces that meet wellness benchmarks, into the new office.
Senator Patrick McMath, R-Covington, listens during a state senate committee meeting on Monday, February 5, 2024 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
STAFF PHOTO BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
The Women, Infants and Children nutrition program, or WIC, would shift into the office, along with the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, a 15-member group of health professionals aiming to improve physical activity.
State health officials testifying on Wednesday said that the plan does not create new costs but instead allows them to shift funding and staff.
Louisiana continues to face some of the highest rates of chronic disease in the country, ranking 4th among states. Lawmakers cited high rates of obesity and Type 2 diabetes as major drivers of health care costs and poor outcomes.
Linking diet to brain health
Lawmakers also added an amendment tying the new office’s work to Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline, requiring coordination with other state offices to reduce risk.
Advocates and researchers told lawmakers that diet, exercise and chronic disease management play a big role in risk of brain degenerative diseases in later life. Addressing them could help Louisianans live a better quality of life for longer.
“We’re not talking about forcing someone to get on a treadmill for three hours a day and eat tofu at every meal,” said Owen Carmichael, a professor at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center. “You go to a pretty good place with your diet by sitting down to a plate of Louisiana-grown brown rice, Louisiana-raised grilled shrimp and a couple of Louisiana-grown satsumas. This is really achievable for seniors in our state.”
