At a Senate Health and Welfare Committee hearing on Oct. 12, Louisiana lawmakers pressed DCFS Secretary Rebecca Harris to revive a long‑standing contract with Tulane University’s Institute of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health. The agreement, which has provided psychiatric services to foster children since 1994, expired at the end of September after negotiations stalled.
Why the contract matters
Tulane’s team, led by Dr. Charles Zeanah, specializes in assessing and treating very young children who have endured abuse, trauma, neglect, or exposure to parental substance use. The institute’s staff includes seven psychologists who devote all of their time to the program, as well as support for drug‑ and alcohol‑affected infants and assistance to foster families when children must be placed away from their biological parents.
Funding for the services comes from a federal grant – the $7 million MaryLee Allen Promoting Safe and Stable Families program awarded in 2024 – with Tulane contributing a 25 % matching share. In the fiscal year that ended June 30, the state paid more than $400,000 for Tulane’s services, plus a three‑month extension of nearly $134,000 to keep care flowing through September.
Dispute over pre‑clearance
The impasse centers on Tulane’s refusal to obtain state approval before delivering care. Harris argued that pre‑clearance protects the state from paying for services that should be covered by Medicaid, while Dr. Zeanah warned that the requirement ignores the urgent, real‑time needs of children in crisis.
“Either we can be trusted by DCFS to make good clinical decisions on the fly, or they should not contract with us,” Zeanah told the committee.
Potential consequences
Without a renewed contract, Tulane’s team will continue serving the 15 families currently under its care but will not accept new cases. Harris cautioned that if Tulane bills DCFS directly, it could disrupt Medicaid’s reimbursement calculations for providers.
She also referenced a Legislative Auditor’s report showing DCFS spent over $20 million on services that Medicaid would have covered, though the audit noted uncertainty about whether all those expenses should have been paid through the federal program.
Administration’s reforms
Since Governor Jeff Landry appointed Harris in August 2025, the secretary has overhauled the DCFS child‑welfare division. Changes include moving office‑based supervisors into field casework and replacing a remote abuse‑hotline staff with an in‑house call center—steps that have prompted a wave of retirements and resignations but aim to improve direct service delivery.
Lawmakers from both parties expressed frustration with the agency’s challenges. Sen. Gerald Boudreaux (D‑Lafayette) called the contract’s lapse a setback after three decades of positive impact. Rep. Kim Carver (R‑Mandeville) urged Harris to act quickly, noting the decision “makes things worse” for vulnerable children.
Next steps
The Senate committee will continue monitoring the situation. Lawmakers hope that renewed dialogue will lead to a contract that balances state oversight with the need for rapid, expert mental‑health intervention for Louisiana’s foster youth.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
