LSU and Ochsner Health System have agreed to form a new board to manage University Health in Shreveport and the safety net hospital in Monroe.

The 3,000 employees at the hospitals will become employees of the new University Health organization or Ochsner Health System when the management takeover happens next year.

Administration Commissioner Jay Dardenne says "It is an agreement in principal and concept, not specifics." Details of the plan are expected to be ironed out early next year.

Steven Skrivanos, chairman of University Health System's Board of Managers added:

Discussions continue with Ochsner, and we remain optimistic that we can come to a successful arrangement that will advance community interests and graduate medical education in north Louisiana. The terms of any LOI have yet to be finalized, and we do not think it is appropriate at this point to comment on the specifics of the negotiations.

Ochsner CEO Warner Thomas released this statement:

We recognize the important role University Health Conway in Monroe and University Health in Shreveport, as well as the stabilization of the LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, play in preserving health care, medical education and research for the citizens of North Louisiana. It is clear from ongoing discussions that all parties are all aligned in working together to strengthen both the LSU Health Sciences Center and the hospitals in Shreveport and Monroe in order to serve the needs of the patients, physicians, residents and medical students in a very important part of the State. We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with all the partners, including the state, LSU and BRF.  We hope to have a draft of a letter of intent soon and will share more information once we are further along in the process.

KEEL News spoke with State Senator Greg Tarver about this letter of intent.

 

We also caught up with State Representative Cedric Glover to talk about this letter of intent.

Representatives of LSU and Ochsner and community members from Shreveport and Monroe will be on the new board.

BRF's involvement will be limited to participation in a community advisory board.

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