LSU Bogalusa Medical Center to Merge With Our Lady Health System

Bogalusa (La.) Medical Center, part of Baton Rouge-based Louisiana State University Health Care Services Division, will become Our Lady of the Angels Hospital under a partnership agreement with the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, also based in Baton Rouge, according to a report from The Daily News.

Under the agreement, the nonprofit health system will assume inpatient operations as well as emergency and outpatient services at the 98-bed hospital, effective March 17. The deal will establish a public-private partnership between LSU, the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and Franciscan Missionaries, according to the report.

Five other hospitals formerly within the safety-net LSU health system were privatized last year under a state plan. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and other state policymakers said the system was losing money and estimated privatizing the hospitals would save the state $100 million.

According to LSU, the public-private partnerships involve Interim LSU Public Hospital in New Orleans, Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center in Houma, University Medical Center in Lafayette and W.O. Moss Regional Medical Center in Lake Charles.

Former LSU facility Earl K. Long Hospital in Baton Rouge closed its doors as part of the privatization process, and inpatient, general surgery and emergency services previously offered at W.O. Moss Regional Medical Center in Lake Charles have moved to the main campus of Lake Charles Memorial Health System. Outpatient clinics and some services are still available at W.O. Moss.

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