[StBernard] Ethics ruling sought for pair

[Westley Annis]

Ethics ruling sought for pair
2 clinic doctors on hospital panel Saturday, May 24, 2008By Bob Warren
St. Bernard Parish government will seek a state Ethics Board opinion on
whether Dr. Bryan Bertucci and Dr. Paul Verrette have a conflict of interest
serving on the commission overseeing the parish's Hospital Service District.


Both doctors work at the health clinic established by the Franciscan Mission
of Our Lady Health System of Baton Rouge, which is one of two groups seeking
the board's blessing to operate a hospital in Chalmette. Bertucci, who also
is the parish's elected coroner, and Verrette were instrumental in getting
the clinic opened after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the parish's lone
hospital, which did not reopen. 

They are among five parish residents the Parish Council appointed to the
fledgling hospital district commission in December. The unpaid members of
the commission were nominated by the St. Bernard Medical Society and
employees of the St. Bernard Health Center. 

Verrette and Bertucci have abstained from any discussions involving the
Franciscans' hospital proposal. But some government officials question
whether their membership poses a problem. The council this week adopted a
resolution asking the administration to seek the ethics opinion. 

"We're worried about any potential problems," Councilman Ray Lauga said.
"Anything that goes bad is going to reflect badly" on the council. 

Efforts to contact Verrette on Friday were not successful, but Bertucci said
he and Verrette have been careful to distance themselves from any commission
business involving the Franciscans. 

"That's what you're supposed to do -- that's the proper thing," he said,
adding that people serving on other parish boards, including the council,
sometimes must recuse themselves when matters involving family or employers
come up. "But to say that you can't serve, that to me is ludicrous." 

Bertucci said he and Verrette add valuable voices to the commission -- those
of medical professionals. 

Meanwhile, a bill authored by state Rep. Reed Henderson, D-Violet, that
would allow Bertucci and Verrette to vote on issues involving the hospital
operating contract has cleared the House of Representatives and is in a
Senate committee. Henderson said Verrette's and Bertucci's input in the
process is too important to silence. 

Henderson said it's important to have doctors on the commission, but there's
a very shallow pool of doctors who both live and work in the parish. 

Henderson's bill drew the ire of David Gorbaty, a state 4th Circuit Court of
Appeals judge from St. Bernard Parish, who said it seeks to circumvent the
state's ethics laws and urged the council to oppose it. 

The council did not formally move to oppose the bill. 

The Franciscan Mission of Our Lady Health System has proposed a $78 million,
60-bed hospital. The Ochsner Health System has proposed a 20-bed hospital at
a cost of about $20 million. 

. . . . . . . 

Bob Warren can be reached at bwarren at timespicayune.com or (504) 826-3363.