Huey P. Long Medical Center in Pineville, La., is inching closer to its closure, as the Louisiana Senate passed a resolution to end inpatient services at the hospital, according to a New Orleans Advocate report.
In September, the Louisiana State University board of supervisors approved a plan that would close Huey P. Long and direct inpatient and emergency services to Rapides Regional Medical Center and Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital, both based in Alexandria, La.
The House will have to give final approval before the hospital can shut down. Some state legislators have criticized the closure, saying the area still requires inpatient services, according to the report.
Huey P. Long is the final piece of the mass privatization of LSU's hospital system. Last June, LSU closed W.O. Moss Regional Medical Center in Lake Charles. Earl K. Long Medical Center in Baton Rouge closed last April. Seven other hospitals have started new operating agreements with several private health systems throughout the state. Lallie Kemp Medical Center in Independence is the lone remaining public hospital within LSU.
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