Hospital board hears about changes at Ochsner St. Mary

Ochsner St. Mary is looking better inside and out, the St. Mary Hospital Service District 2 board said Wednesday night.
The board owns Morgan City’s 165-bed hospital and last fall named Ochsner Health System to operate the institution under a lease agreement.
Ochsner is working on the hospital’s physical appearance with a pressure wash. And the company is investing in emergency room improvements, said Chairman William Cefalu Jr., part of the process of improving public perception of the hospital.
Inside, the hospital has hired seven nurses and is looking for a respiratory therapist. Recruitment remains a focus for Ochsner, Cefalu said.
Patient numbers have risen into the 20s and 30s, he said.
“It could have been in the 50s easily if we had the staff,” Cefalu said.
Also Tuesday, the board reelected its officers for the new year. They are Cefalu as chairman; Gary Stansbury as vice chairman; and Bill McCarty as secretary-treasurer.