2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 103
BY SENATORS ALARIO, ALLAIN, APPEL, BARROW, BISHOP, BOUDREAUX,
CARTER, CHABERT, CLAITOR, COLOMB, CORTEZ, DONAHUE,
ERDEY, FANNIN, GATTI, HENSGENS, HEWITT, JOHNS,
LAFLEUR, LAMBERT, LONG, LUNEAU, MARTINY, MILKOVICH,
MILLS, MIZELL, MORRELL, MORRISH, PEACOCK, PETERSON,
PRICE, RISER, GARY SMITH, JOHN SMITH, TARVER,
THOMPSON, WALSWORTH, WARD AND WHITE AND
REPRESENTATIVES ABRAHAM, ABRAMSON, ADAMS, AMEDEE,
ANDERS, ARMES, BACALA, BAGLEY, BAGNERIS, BARRAS,
BERTHELOT, BILLIOT, BISHOP, BOUIE, BOURRIAQUE, BRASS,
CHAD BROWN, TERRY BROWN, CARMODY, CARPENTER,
GARY CARTER, ROBBY CARTER, STEVE CARTER, CHANEY,
CONNICK, COUSSAN, COX, CREWS, DAVIS, DEVILLIER,
DUBUISSON, DUPLESSIS, DWIGHT, EDMONDS, EMERSON,
FALCONER, FOIL, FRANKLIN, GAINES, GAROFALO, GISCLAIR,
GLOVER, GUINN, JIMMY HARRIS, LANCE HARRIS, HENRY,
HILFERTY, HILL, HODGES, HOFFMANN, HOLLIS, HORTON,
HOWARD, HUVAL, IVEY, JACKSON, JAMES, JEFFERSON,
JENKINS, MIKE JOHNSON, ROBERT JOHNSON, JONES, JORDAN,
LACOMBE, NANCY LANDRY, TERRY LANDRY, LARVADAIN,
LEBAS, LEGER, LEOPOLD, LYONS, MACK, MAGEE, MARCELLE,
MARINO, MCFARLAND, MCMAHEN, MIGUEZ, DUSTIN MILLER,
GREGORY MILLER, MOORE, JAY MORRIS, JIM MORRIS, MOSS,
MUSCARELLO, NORTON, PEARSON, PIERRE, POPE, PUGH,
PYLANT, RICHARD, SCHEXNAYDER, SEABAUGH, SIMON,
SMITH, STAGNI, STEFANSKI, STOKES, TALBOT, THOMAS,
TURNER, WHITE, WRIGHT AND ZERINGUE
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To commend former Louisiana State Senate President Donald Elliott Hines, MD on his
exceptional career as both a physician and an elected representative of the people,
focusing on his extraordinary efforts to ensure that excellent medical care remains
available to the people of Louisiana, especially those living in rural parishes.
WHEREAS, Donald Elliott Hines was born in Avoyelles Parish in the town of
Bunkie on November 14, 1933; and
WHEREAS, the reach of Dr. Hines' career has included selfless service as a
physician, a Navy doctor, an elected representative of the people, and a man of Christian
character and conviction in serving his fellow man; and
WHEREAS, following his studies, Dr. Hines enlisted in the United States Navy,
serving from 1959 through 1963, and he began his medical practice in Bunkie, Louisiana,
in 1966; and
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WHEREAS, Don Hines was a small town family practitioner at a time and in a place
where the role of the doctor was much broader than just what takes place in the exam room,
and Dr. Hines became active in his community, championing the building of a hospital in
Bunkie and in other rural areas; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Hines began his service in the Louisiana State Senate in 1993,
where he would serve until term limits required the end of that elective service in 2008; and
WHEREAS, in 2004, Senator Don Hines was chosen to lead the Senate as president
for his last term in the body; and
WHEREAS, perhaps the most important legislation that Senator Hines authored was
known as the Rural Hospital Preservation Act of 1997 which sought to protect hospitals
serving rural populations in Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, the legislation provided for reimbursements that would support the rural
hospitals in Louisiana and additional protections for those hospitals; and
WHEREAS, with a state in which more than sixty percent of the parishes are
considered "rural", the healthcare of the citizens in those areas is dependant on good quality
hospital care available in local communities and ensuring the availability of that care was
the purpose of this landmark healthcare law in 1997; and
WHEREAS, following the passage of this legislation, the Rural Hospital Coalition
(RHC), Inc., a 501(c)(6) organization, was established and membership is open only to
hospitals of sixty beds or fewer and those serving parishes with a population of sixty-five
thousand or fewer residents; currently membership is at forty-eight hospitals; and
WHEREAS, in a time when electronic medical records are mandated, but expensive,
the RHC set up the Louisiana Rural Health Information Exchange (LARHIX) to implement
the statewide electronic medical records system; and
WHEREAS, from 2007 until very recently, Dr. Hines served as executive director
of LARHIX and he lent his time and talent to that organization, essential to protecting those
rural hospitals in the digital world; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Don Hines has tirelessly worked to improve healthcare in the rural
areas of Louisiana and his experience in that aspect of healthcare has been invaluable to
sustaining these hospitals and keeping them serving their rural populations; and
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WHEREAS, when assessing the contributions to the good of society and especially
to patients in the rural areas of the state, it is impossible to overstate the impact former
Senator Don Hines, MD has had on the ability of the state of Louisiana to maintain the good
health of its citizens and a debt is owed to this quiet, but effective voice for preserving the
hospitals that are so vital in rural areas of the state.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend former Louisiana State Senate President Donald Elliott Hines, MD on his
exceptional career as both a physician and an elected representative of the people focusing
on his particular efforts to ensure that excellent medical care remains available to the people
of Louisiana, especially those in the rural areas of the state.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Dr. Don Hines.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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