Marking the dream; tossing the gantlet
January 22, 2013OUR VIEW: Inauguration over; time to get to work
January 22, 2013
State health officials are scheduled to address a group of legislators this week on plans for public-private partnerships within Louisiana’s charity hospital system, which includes Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center in Houma.
There are no indications – so far – that any new concrete information on the plans will emerge from the presentation. And, so far, a big concern in Houma and surrounding communities, whether further layoffs will occur at Chabert, appears unlikely but is not ruled out.
Members of the House Committee on Health and Welfare, chaired by Rep. Scott Simon (R-Abita Springs) will meet tomorrow at 9 a.m. to receive “current information concerning public-private partnerships for the operation and management of state-owned hospitals.”
Last month, deep cuts to Medicaid by Congress left Louisiana’s hospital system bleeding. Chabert was presented with proposed budget cuts local health officials said would cripple the hospital and make it irrelevant to the community it serves.
The Ochsner Health System, which is privately owned, and publicly-owned Terrebonne General Medical Center stepped forward to rescue Chabert.
A similar partnership emerged to aid state hospitals in New Orleans and Lafayette.
Officials of the LSU System, which operates the state hospitals, will make the presentations as will state Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce Greenstein.
State Sen. Norby Chabert (D-Houma) has been closely watching the rescue of the hospital that bears his father’s name. The late Sen. Leonard Chabert was elevated to near-sainthood in the bayou parishes following his ability to muster enough political capital to get a hospital that would serve low-income people built in Houma.
While hopeful no personnel cuts will occur, Chabert is not convinced as of yet that is the case.
“I cannot say that with any certainty,” he said.
Chabert hospital administrator Rhonda Green said she is not aware of specifics regarding the presentation. Asked if there was any further word regarding job losses at Chabert, Green said she is fairly certain that won’t be the case and is remaining optimistic.
Some Chabert employees have left voluntarily for jobs elsewhere in state government, to preserve their pensions and state employment ranking.
Green said she expects the partnership with Ochsner, once implemented, to be similar to the deal that turned over operation of St. Anne General Hospital in Raceland to the Ochsner system.
Employees there had to re-apply for their jobs, but there were few instances of people not being rehired.
“We are already very lean,” Green said.
The briefing planned for Health and Welfare, state Sen. Chabert said, is an important step toward the rescue of the hospital.
“It’s their jurisdiction from a committee standpoint,” he said. “So it’s a good thing … that members who serve on the health committees and are our experts from a (legislative) member’s standpoint, get an opportunity to get some insight and ask the right questions.”
