Working together: Baton Rouge-based Premier Health is partnering LCMC Health, a New Orleans nonprofit healthcare system, to establish a network of urgent care centers in greater New Orleans beginning next spring. The partners plan to create seven centers over a span of 18 months. LCMC says it is also involved in discussions to purchase existing urgent care centers and is evaluating sites to build new facilities. The initial centers will be located in the New Orleans metro area and will offer walk-in care, on-site lab work, X-rays, immunizations and physicals. Premier Health has more than 40 urgent care clinics and 650 employees. According to a news release, Premier Health has joint ventures in nearly every major metro area in Louisiana.
Help wanted: The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development plans to move forward with the widening of Interstate 10 in East Baton Rouge and Ascension parishes by pursuing a design-build contract. According to a news release, LaDOTD issued a notice today seeking a design-build firm to widen a section of I-10 from two lanes to three lanes starting a quarter mile west of the Highland Road interchange to east of the La. 73 interchange. The design-build contract is estimated to be worth upwards of $60 million and will be paid for with federal funds. Read the full announcement.
Agreement reached: The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries agreed today to cut its oil output for the first time since 2008. Two sources within the organization tell Reuters that OPEC would reduce output to 32.5 million barrels per day from current production of 33.24 million barrels per day. How much each country will produce is to be decided at the next formal meeting of OPEC in November, when an invitation to join cuts could also be extended to non-OPEC countries such as Russia, the sources tell Reuters. Oil prices jumped more than 5% to trade above $48 per barrel after the outcome of the group’s informal meeting in Algeria took traders by surprise. Still, many say they wanted to see the details of the deal. Read the full story.
