By Monique Roth
L’Observateur

LAPLACE — Dozens of River Parishes Hospital employees will work their final shift Oct. 31 following an announcement Tuesday the hospital was being sold to Ochsner Health System.

David Gaines, senior vice president of public affairs for Ochsner, said earlier in the week about 60 percent of the hospital’s full-time staff will lose their jobs by Nov. 1, but clarified with L’OBSERVATEUR Thursday the percentage could actually be less than half.

Gaines said Ochsner officials are in the process of meeting with various River Parishes Hospital departments and doctors to finalize what services may be kept and or expanded under Ochsner.

“If we can grow services, we will do it,” Gaines said.

A local resident, who asked her name not be used, is one of the registered nurses who checked her email Tuesday and saw a message informing her of the hospital sale and notifying her there would no longer be an opportunity for her employment come Nov. 1.

“It was shocking,” she said. “There had been rumors, but no evidence to back up any rumors. Our last day is Oct. 31, and all inpatient services will close then.”

She added she has already received her severance package.

While Ochsner may end up deciding to run the facility at River Parishes Hospital’s current location, no commitment has been made.

Gaines said an assessment is taking traffic patterns and parish growth into account, and the parish president and other parish leaders will be asked for their input on the project and what is best for the parish. Gaines mentioned Belle Terre Boulevard as one of the locations being scouted for a possible relocation.

Located in LaPlace, River Parishes Hospital is an acute-care facility that has served the residents of St. John, St. Charles and St. James Parishes since 1982.

LifePoint, which currently owns the hospital, lists on its website River Parishes Hospital has an average of 2,000 inpatients and 21,000 outpatient visits each year, and nearly 130 physicians are affiliated with the hospital, with an active medical staff of 40.

The sale of the hospital from LifePoint Hospitals to Ochsner means the facility will remain open, but will operate under a different name — Ochsner Medical Complex-River Parishes — and experience numerous changes in services.

River Parishes Hospital CEO Alan Daugherty said the hospital’s recent challenges include reductions in reimbursement and significant declines in patient utilization.

The vision in LaPlace, Ochsner leaders said, is to develop a modern medical facility focused on emergency, primary care, laboratory and radiology services with advanced technology within the next 18-24 months.

“We are 100 percent committed to maintaining emergency care,” Gaines said, adding this new facility will be much more than a large-scale urgent care facility.

Ochsner will continue to use its existing partnerships with St. Charles and St. James Parish Hospitals and work closely with its medical center in Kenner to meet local needs for surgery and inpatient care.

St. John the Baptist Parish President Natalie Robottom said continuing to have access to emergency medical services is important to local residents and the community.

“While River Parishes Hospital has struggled to remain viable for years, their collaboration with the Ochsner Health System and its record in the health care industry appears to support their commitment to our residents,” she said.

When asked if the Ochsner facility would continue to use the services of the hospital’s current volunteers, Gaines said, “in every medical facility we have the role of the volunteer is highly endeared and valued.”

He said he was not sure of how many volunteers River Parishes currently had, but that under Ochsner there would certainly be a need for some volunteers.

River Region Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Chassity McComack said chamber leaders are pleased the new partnership would help ensure the primary and emergency needs of the community are met.

“We are looking forward to the new venture and welcome Ochsner Health Care and its high-standard reputation to our region,” she said.

While news of the sale was announced Tuesday to hospital employees, Gaines said the purchase has been in the works for 12 to 18 months.