The Board of Trustees of Lafayette General Health and Ochsner Health System announced today they have signed a letter of intent for Lafayette General to merge with Ochsner Health System.
Following the merger, the combined organization will be the largest health care provider in the Gulf South.
As part of the agreement, Lafayette General will anchor services as a regional hub in Southwest Louisiana for the statewide health system, and Ochsner will invest $365 million in capital and resources in Acadiana over the next 10 years. Specifically, Ochsner plans to invest more than $50 million to expanding pediatrics, women’s health, cancer services and more, as well as introduce pioneering behavioral health services to Southwest Louisiana.
Also per the agreement, a 10-year, $10 million community support fund overseen by the Lafayette General Board will be created to advance health and wellness in Acadiana. The Lafayette General Medical Center will add approximately 48 residency positions at the medical center, building onto the 75 positions currently at University Hospital & Clinics and LGMC.
All current Lafayette General employees will continue with the combined organization, and minimum pay will increase to $12 per hour across the system, impacting 800 employees.
News of the intended merger comes just a week after Ochsner and Mississippi-based Rush Health Systems announced a long-term partnership that will unify their electronic health records.
Through the partnership, Ochsner will install and implement a software called Epic, which will sync up Rush’s system to ideally improve care coordination
