LAPLACE, La. (AP) — Ochsner Health System said that it has reached an agreement to acquire River Parishes Hospital in St. John the Baptist Parish
Ochsner officials say plans call for turning the underused 80-bed acute-care hospital into an outpatient clinic providing emergency and primary care services until a new facility is built in coming years.
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David Gaines, vice president of public affairs for Ochsner Health System, tells The New Orleans Advocate (http://bit.ly/1lT0nuc ) the agreement, which is expected to be completed in November, will likely result in layoffs of about 90 of the hospital’s 150 full-time employees.
Gaines says the LaPlace facility will stay open as Ochsner builds a new facility elsewhere in St. John, which will provide emergency, primary care, laboratory and radiology services. He says that could take two years.
Officials with both Ochsner and LifePoint Hospitals, which owns River Parishes Hospital, declined to disclose financial terms of the deal.
“We’re in a transition phase beginning today,” said Diane Huggins, a LifePoint spokeswoman. “With this announcement, the facility is going to transition to an outpatient medical facility, so we’re in the process right now of working with employees to determine who might be impacted.”
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Information from: The New Orleans Advocate, http://www.neworleansadvocate.com
