| Request for an advisory opinion as to whether the Code
of Governmental Ethics ("Code") permits Leah Hood ("Ms.
Hood") may obtain outside employment with the Louisiana Mental Health Association. |
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The Louisiana Legislature established the South Central Louisiana Human Services Authority ("Authority") through Act 449 of the 2006 Regular Session to provide administration, management, and operation of mental health, addictive disorders, and developmental disability services to the residents of Assumption, Lafourche, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Mary, and Terrebonne parishes. The mission of the Authority is to promote overall health within the general population by increasing public awareness and access for individuals with behavioral health and developmental disabilities to integrated primary care while promoting wellness, recovery and independence through education and the choice of a broad range of programmatic and community resources. The Authority operates a separate clinic in each parish, including Terrebonne Behavioral Health Center ("TBHC") in Houma.
Leah Hood has an independent contract with the Authority to provide peer support specialist services at TBHC. Generally, peer support services are designed to assist the client/member and the clinic to develop and maintain the best care for the client suffering from substance abuse or addiction. At this time, Ms. Hood only provides services to TBHC.
Ms. Hood is seeking outside employment with the Louisiana Mental Health Association ("Association"), a non-profit corporation in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which offers services for persons with, or at risk for, mental health and substance abuse issues. Ms. Hood has stated that she would be employed with the Association as a Certified Target Health Facilitator to teach a group of people suffering from substance abuse or addiction, on her own time, for ten weeks, on the material of the Target Health Whole Health Management Program, which focuses on the importance of building mental, physical, relational, and spiritual goals to enhance the addiction recovery process.
The Authority currently has a contract in place with the Association to provide an addiction Recovery Center in St. Mary Parish, with support and self-help services in the Authority's geographical area. TBHC does not have any contractual or business relationship with the Association. You ask whether Ms. Hood's potential employment with the Association presents a conflict of interest given her service to the Authority.
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La. R.S. 42:1111C(1)(a) provides that no public servant shall receive any thing of economic value for any
service, the subject matter of which is devoted substantially to the
responsibilities, programs, or operations of the agency of the public servant
and in which the public servant has participated.
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Adopt the proposed advisory opinion.
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| Assigned Attorney: |
Mallory Guillot |
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