Louisiana Department of Health Barriers to Health Fact Sheet

In the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), barriers to health (BTH), are seen as those factors that prevent an individual, popu-lation, and/or community from acquiring a) access to health services and/or b) achieving their best health.1 LDH also recognizes that barriers to health can be systems (i.e. structural determinants) that offer health care and services; these systems are shaped by a wider set of forces: economics, social policies/social norms, and politics.3Further, it is also important to note what may be a barrier to one person, population, and/or community may be an asset to others, based on social and cultural factors. Thus, all people, populations, and communities are not all the same and there must be intentionality in ensuring that all whom LDH serve are treated and provided services in a matter that take into consideration-programmatically respond to the environments and circumstances of people, populations, and communities—supporting them in achieving their fullest, best health.