State Rep. Cedric Glover talks with 101.7 / 710 KEEL's Robert J Wright and Erin McCarty about the just announced partnership between Ochsner Health System and Shreveport's University Health Hospital and medical school.

The agreement, which has been in negotiations for some time, was officially announced yesterday by Governor John Bel Edwards and top officials from Ochsner and the Shreveport medical facilities.

From KEEL news:

Governor John Bel Edwards was in Shreveport Monday to officially announce the partnership between University Health and Ochsner Health. The new group will be called Ochsner LSU Health System.

Ochsner will take over the safety net hospitals in Shreveport and Monroe on October 1st. Edwards said that the new partnership should stabilize the hospital and give the med school in Shreveport a solid foundation to grow.

It was also announced at the big news conference that Chuck Daigle, a former Willis-Knighton Health System executive, will be the CEO of the new management group. Ochsner will operate the hospitals, clinics and LSU Health’s Faculty Group Practice. LSU Health will operate its Shreveport medical school and all related to that.

Ochsner officials say they plan some big changes and renovations right off the bat including upgrades to operating rooms and the hospitals' ICU units. Updates to lab equipment and patient monitoring devices are also expected to come soon after the October 1 takeover date.

 

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