State Senator Fighting for New Hospital in Baton Rouge
by Caroline Moses - WAFB Channel 9 (CBS) (excerpt)

The only doctor in the legislature is fighting for a new hospital in the Capitol City. LSU says it plans on replacing Earl K. Long Hospital with a new and improved facility, but a location hasn't even been picked out yet. Now, Senator Bill Cassidy is concerned the LSU System is more focused on New Orleans than on Baton Rouge. WAFB's Capitol Correspondent Caroline Moses has the story.

The legislature has already set aside $500 million worth of funding for the new and improved charity hospital in New Orleans, but the new Baton Rouge hospital has not even reached the planning stage. Senator Cassidy says now that Baton Rouge is the largest city in the state, LSU and the legislature need to focus on health care here. Senator Cassidy says, "If we have as many uninsured as does New Orleans, if we're the larger city of the two, there needs to be fairness and equity for the uninsured."

All Senator Cassidy wants is funding based on the number of uninsured residents throughout the state, but right now, he says New Orleans gets 40% of all health care funding. Cassidy says, "Clearly, they are emphasizing New Orleans. They emphasize it in the budget, in priorities, all down the list." At one point during this past legislative session, Cassidy tried to make an amendment to secure the hospital here in the Capitol City, but that amendment failed.