[3] The department's mission is to protect and promote health and to ensure access to medical, preventive and rehabilitative services for all citizens of the state of Louisiana.

Dr. Abraham is a practicing family medicine physician in Richland Parish and a former three-term Congressman for Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District.

LDH's agencies include: LDH also includes the Bureau of Community Partnerships & Health Equity, which is responsible for operationalizing community engagement and health equity best practices and standards agency wide, and plays a role in the State of Louisiana's emergency preparedness network.

[10] In 2024, the department implemented a new policy barring the mass promotion of influenza, COVID-19, and Mpox vaccines, shifting away from a "one-size-fits-all" approach in favor of "an individual’s personal choice.

"[11][1] Louisiana Surgeon General Ralph Abraham reaffirmed the decision in February 2025, announcing that in an effort to restore trust in the public health system, the department "will no longer promote mass vaccination.