Parish Council members take notice of Ochsner St. Mary changes

Ochsner St. Mary may face some push-back on its plans to end labor and delivery services as its parent company consolidates services.

At Tuesday’s St. Mary Parish Council meeting at the courthouse in Franklin, Councilman Dean Adams of Morgan City noted an upcoming meeting of Hospital Service
District No. 1, which owns the hospital operated under lease by Ochsner Health.

The upcoming meeting will bear on the decision to end labor and delivery services at the hospital next month, Adams said.

Councilman the Rev. Craig Mathews called the decision a huge concern for the community.

“It speaks volumes about how large corporations come into rural areas and promise us the moon and the stars,” Mathews said. “And we don’t even get a low-hanging cloud.”

Ochsner’s original involvement with the Morgan City hospital seemed more like a wish on a lucky star that came true.

In the months leading up to spring 2019, with rural hospitals closing all over the country, LifePoint Health of Tennessee announced plans to pull out of Morgan City after years of multimillion dollar losses from its operation of what was then Teche Regional. The hospital was on the brink of closing.

Gov. John Bel Edwards, eager to avoid losing a rural hospital on his watch, lobbied Ochsner. The health system, the state’s largest private employer, announced in March 2019 that it would assume the lease and operations at the hospital.

The former Teche Regional Medical Center became Ochsner St. Mary.

Then, last week, Ochsner St. Mary announced that it will end labor and delivery services April 1. Ochsner is consolidating those services in this region at Ochsner St. Anne in Raceland.

The hospital said it will continue to offer other women’s health services, including mammograms and bone density tests.

The hospital has delivered fewer than 200 babies each year recently, the hospital said, the fewest among the 66 hospitals that report to the Louisiana Hospital Association.

Meanwhile, the hospital said, population estimates predict a 6.2% decline in the number of St. Mary women of child-bearing age, while the number of people over 65 is expected to rise by 10.9%.

“While our decision to shift our labor and delivery program to our partner hospital, Ochsner St. Anne in Raceland was difficult, it is the best overall direction for our community,” said Fernis LeBlanc, CEO, Ochsner Bayou Region, in an email Wednesday.

“Among the five area hospitals that provide labor and delivery services, Ochsner St. Mary accounts for fewer than seven percent of the total births in the region, with less than 16 babies per month. The data shows residents are not utilizing Ochsner St. Mary to deliver their babies.

“Every decision we make is with the community in mind. We remain passionate about serving St. Mary Parish and the surrounding communities.”

Also Tuesday, the council approved a resolution authorizing Parish President David Hanagriff to apply for a grant for sidewalk work in Amelia.

The parish government is seeking a Department of Transportation and Development grant for sidewalks on Lake Palourde Road, Lake Road, South and North Verret, DeGravelle Road and Beadle Street. The work is expected to cost $937,000.

If the grant goes through, the parish government would have to pay a 20% match. The exact figures weren’t available to the council Tuesday, but Chief Administrative Officer Henry C. “Bo” LaGrange said the resolution doesn’t commit the parish to spending money. The resolution was introduced Tuesday to beat a grant application deadline.