The state and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center have reached an agreement on a new emergency room in north Baton Rouge, Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne confirms this morning.
The state will fund $5.5 million toward the development of a new ER, which will be located at OLOL’s existing LSU Health North Urgent Care Center on Airline Highway. The ER deal is part of a larger contract between the state and OLOL, which is the state’s partner hospital to provide charity care in the Baton Rouge market.
Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration called for renegotiating the public-private partnership agreements between all the state’s charity care providers earlier this year. Throughout the summer, Dardenne negotiated with the hospitals over new contracts that would be less costly for the state. Dardenne gave the hospitals until 5 p.m. Thursday to accept the state’s final offer.
Dardenne says all the hospitals have reached an agreement with the state except for the private provider in Shreveport, which has an extension until 5 p.m. today.
Details about the state’s deal with OLOL remain sketchy. Dardenne is preparing to testify before the Joint Legislative Budget committee, which is discussing the state’s share of flood relief. But Dardenne says he will discuss the hospital deals after the meeting.
As far as a time frame for the new facility, Dardenne says it should happen soon.
“We’re giving them $5.5 million,” he says. “So we hope it will get under way ASAP.”
Developing a full-service ER has been a top priority of Edwards since he took office early this year.
Access to health care in north Baton Rouge has been a big issue with community leaders and elected officials since Earl K. Long charity hospital and Baton Rouge General Mid City’s emergency room closed in 2013 and early 2015, respectively.
Officials with OLOL have declined to comment until after the state releases details of the plan.
—Stephanie Riegel
