[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish Hospital seeks new management plan

[Westley Annis]

St. Bernard Parish Hospital seeks new management plan

wwltv.com

Posted on October 5, 2012 at 5:55 AM

Tania Dall / Eyewitness News

Email: tdall at wwltv.com | Twitter: @taniadall

CHALMETTE, La. -- St. Bernard Parish's first hospital to open its doors
since Hurricane Katrina is going through some growing pains.

The health care management company managing the hospital is moving on, and
now the St. Bernard Parish Hospital Service District Board of Directors
needs to come up with a game plan.

This summer, St. Bernard Parish Hospital opened its doors to the public. The
$90 million state-of-the-art facility is being run by the Franciscan
Missionaries of Our Lady Health System.

The system recently agreed to let the St. Bernard Parish service district
board take over the day-to-day management at the hospital.

Board officials confirm that the Franciscan missionaries are owed more than
$900,000 in unpaid hospital services, and that in an effort to streamline
management at the hospital, cuts have been made in administrative and
marketing positions, impacting about five positions.

The changes, according to Wayne Landry and other hospital board members at
Thursday's meeting, aren't expected to impact patient services.

"The board basically hires a CEO, and that CEO reports to the board. So it's
really kind of premature right now for me to say and speak on behalf of the
board about what the ultimate management will look like, because obviously
now we need to go and work out some transition issues with the Franciscans,"
Landry said.

No word on when the board will come up with a new management plan for the
hospital.