2021 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 32
BY SENATOR BARROW
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To re-create and continue the work of the task force to study health services delivery and
financing in the Baton Rouge region and to require the task force to report findings
and recommendations to the legislative committees on health and welfare.
WHEREAS, profound changes in health care delivery and financing in Baton Rouge
have occurred in the past several years, dramatically impacting access to care in the city and
surrounding region; and
WHEREAS, these changes include the closure in 2013 of the city's state-owned
public hospital, the Earl K. Long Medical Center, and privatization of the services formerly
delivered there; the closure of the city's mental health emergency room extension, which was
part of the Earl K. Long Medical Center and kept patients with mental illness from
congesting hospital emergency departments and jails; and a temporary closure of the
emergency department of the Baton Rouge General Medical Center's Mid-City hospital due
to its inability to cover the cost of treating the overwhelming number of uninsured patients
that it began to see in the aftermath of the closure of Earl K. Long; and
WHEREAS, as evidenced by the final passage of House Bill No. 1493 of the 2010
Regular Session requiring reports to the legislature relative to privatization of services of the
Earl K. Long Medical Center, which was the first of nine hospitals in the state's ten-hospital
system to be privatized, and by extensive debate concerning the state health system in every
session since 2010, the legislature has expressed deep concern about the fiscal and public
health consequences of hospital privatization since the outset of the privatization efforts; and
WHEREAS, the executive budget for the state proposed for state fiscal year
2015-2016 lacked sufficient funds for Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, the
private partner now responsible for the indigent care and physician training services that had
formerly been delivered at Earl K. Long, to continue delivering the services which it is
obligated to provide pursuant to its cooperative endeavor agreement with the state; and
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WHEREAS, after the 2015-2016 executive budget was issued, officials with Our
Lady of the Lake determined that the seven million four hundred thousand dollar shortfall
in public funding it faced originally for provision of publicly-required services had doubled
to approximately fifteen million dollars due to increased emergency department utilization
resulting from the closure of the Baton Rouge General Mid-City emergency department; and
WHEREAS, supply of, and demand for, medical care in the capital region have
become increasingly misaligned in recent years; and
WHEREAS, these circumstances are of serious concern to policymakers at the city,
regional, and state levels; and
WHEREAS, a task force to study health services delivery and financing in the Baton
Rouge region was created by House Concurrent Resolution No. 129 of the 2015 Regular
Session of the legislature and continued by Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4 of the 2016
Regular Session and Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 122 of the 2018 Regular Session;
and
WHEREAS, legislative authority for the task force terminated on December 31,
2019; however, the efforts of this task force are vitally important at present and will remain
so in the near term.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
re-create and continue the work of the task force to study and make recommendations
concerning health services delivery and financing in the Baton Rouge region.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall be composed of the
following members:
(1) The mayor-president of East Baton Rouge Parish or his designee.
(2) The chief executive officer of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation or his designee.
(3) Two members representing the Capital Region Legislative Delegation.
(4) The chief executive officer of Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center
or his designee.
(5) The chief executive officer of the Baton Rouge General Health System or his
designee.
(6) The chief executive officer of Lane Regional Medical Center or his designee.
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(7) The chief executive officer of Ochsner Health System or his designee.
(8) The coroner of East Baton Rouge Parish or his designee.
(9) The administrator of East Baton Rouge Parish Emergency Medical Services or
his designee.
(10) The chief executive officer of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber or his designee.
(11) The president of the Louisiana AFL-CIO or his designee.
(12) The lead organizer of Together Baton Rouge or his designee.
(13) The president of the Capital Area Medical Society or his designee.
(14) One member representing the Campaign for Healthcare for Everyone -
Louisiana.
(15) The president of the Louisiana Center for Health Equity or his designee.
(16) The secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health or his designee.
(17) The director of the Louisiana Budget Project or his designee.
(18) The chairman of the board of directors of Woman's Hospital Foundation or his
designee.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall examine issues related to
health services delivery and financing in the Baton Rouge region including, without
limitation, the following:
(1) Barriers to access to health care faced by low- to moderate-income persons.
(2) Impacts of cuts to federal disproportionate share hospital funding and Louisiana's
expansion of Medicaid in 2016 on patient access to health services.
(3) Effects on public health of the closure of the state-operated public hospital in
Baton Rouge and privatization of the services formerly delivered there.
(4) Impacts on private hospitals which do not operate under a cooperative endeavor
agreement with the state for providing uncompensated care.
(5) Policies which could expand the capacity of public and private urgent care clinics
to meet the health care needs of medically underserved populations.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that at its initial meeting, the task force shall elect
a chairperson from among its members and shall adopt rules of procedure and any other
policies as may be necessary to facilitate its work.
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall submit an initial report to the
Senate and House committees on health and welfare on or before December 31, 2021,
outlining the work and recommendations of the task force to date and providing a plan for
ongoing study of the issue of health services delivery and financing in the Baton Rouge
region.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall submit a final report to the
Senate and House committees on health and welfare on or before the termination date of the
task force on December 31, 2022, with final recommendations of the task force regarding
the issue of health services delivery and financing in the Baton Rouge region.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that legislative authority for the task force shall
continue through December 31, 2022.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
mayor-president of East Baton Rouge Parish, the chief executive officer of the Baton Rouge
Area Foundation, the chief executive officer of Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical
Center, the chief executive officer of the Baton Rouge General Health System, the chief
executive officer of Lane Regional Medical Center, the chief executive officer of Ochsner
Health System, the coroner of East Baton Rouge Parish, the administrator of East Baton
Rouge Parish Emergency Medical Services, the chief executive officer of the Baton Rouge
Area Chamber, the president of the Louisiana AFL-CIO, the lead organizer of Together
Baton Rouge, the president of the Capital Area Medical Society, the president of the
Campaign for Healthcare for Everyone - Louisiana, the president of the Louisiana Center for
Health Equity, the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Health, the director of the
Louisiana Budget Project, and the chairman of the board of directors of Woman's Hospital
Foundation.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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