Senate backs closure of LSU hospital in Pineville

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Gov. Bobby Jindal’s plan to shutter the LSU public hospital in Pineville and shift its services to two private hospitals in central Louisiana received support Tuesday from the state Senate.

Jindal wants to close the university-run Huey P. Long Medical Center and move its services to CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini Hospital and Rapides Regional Medical Center. It would be the Republican governor’s ninth and final privatization deal for the LSU public hospital system.

Senators voted 26-11 for the legislation by Sen. Gerald Long, R-Winnfield, authorizing the closure. The proposal moves next to the House for consideration.

Long said the privatization deal would provide better care for the poor and uninsured who rely on the 75-year-old LSU hospital.

“Our goal in central Louisiana is to provide our people with the very best health care can we give,” said Long.

But the senator whose district includes the public hospital, Sen. Rick Gallot, said the Jindal administration is moving too quickly.

The administration is planning to spend as much as $15 million to expand an inpatient psychiatric facility at the CHRISTUS hospital and add three new clinics in Alexandria and Pineville that will provide outpatient and specialty services for the uninsured.

Gallot, D-Ruston, said he wants to make those clinics are up and running before the LSU hospital shuts its doors.

“They promised us they will build these clinics. Well, by God, build the clinics before you close the hospital,” he said.

Senators deadlocked on a proposal by Gallot to add language requiring the Legislature’s joint budget committee to certify that the outpatient clinics were open before Huey P. Long could be closed. The amendment failed in a 17-17 vote.

Several senators suggested Long should delay a vote because Gallot was urging delay and he represents the hospital. But Long said he, too, represents part of Rapides Parish and believed the privatization deal was best for the region.

Sen. Ronnie Johns, R-Lake Charles, noted the LSU hospital in southwest Louisiana was closed and its inpatient services moved to private hospitals last year.

“The problems have been very, very minor. The people in my area today are getting better care than they’ve ever gotten,” he said.

Jindal chose to impose most of a federal Medicaid financing reduction to the state on the LSU public hospital system and has pushed to privatize university-run hospitals and clinics. Eight hospital deals have taken effect so far.

Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, D-New Orleans, said the financing arrangements for most hospital privatization contracts haven’t received approval from federal Medicaid officials. She said adding another one to the list could worsen budget problems if approval doesn’t come.

“You want to tell people you’re doing right by their tax dollars. Well, today you’re not,” she told senators.

Jindal’s health secretary this week told the Senate Finance Committee that she felt confident federal officials will agree to the financing arrangements.

___

Online:

Senate Concurrent Resolution 48 can be found at www.legis.la.gov