That one State Civil Service Commission member, D. Scott Hughes of Shreveport, changed his vote that allows the privatization of four state hospitals should come as no surprise. Many of you who logged comments on last week’s post even predicted it.
But for two members to skip a meeting of such importance is simply unforgivable.
For that reason alone, commission member Dr. Sidney Tobias of LaPlace and commission Chairman David Duplantier of Mandeville should resign immediately.
The board, sans Tobias and Duplantier, met Monday to reconsider the proposed contract between the state and Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana for operation of the LSU Medical Center in Shreveport and E.A. Conway Medical Center in Monroe, between the state and Southern Regional Medical Center and Terrebonne General Medical Center to take over Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center in Houma and between the state and Lake Charles Memorial Hospital to take over in-patient care and medical education from W.O. Moss Medical Center in Lake Charles.
The result was predictable: Last week the vote was 4-3 against acceptance of the contracts but on Monday it was 3-2 in favor.
All the vote did was seal the fate of nearly 4,000 employees who can now anticipate being laid off from their jobs effective June 23.
Keep in mind the decision hinged on a contract approved by the LSU Board of Stuporvisors which contained some 50 blank pages and which contained no financial provisions or termination clause.
Last week’s decision to reject the contract was because commission members said they need more details about financing arrangements. Are we now to believe that over the course of a weekend, sufficient financial information was filled in on those blank pages to satisfy the commission?
We understand that Dr. Tobias is a dentist and as such, has a busy schedule. But if his schedule is such that it is impossible to attend meetings at which the future of 4,000 state employees hang in the balance, then he has no business serving on the board and should resign immediately.
The same goes for attorney Duplantier. You either are in a position to serve or you are not. There can be no gray area in matters of this magnitude.
We bet if a meeting held the potential of costing either Duplantier or Tobias a major share of their clients or patients (read: income), there would be no way to keep them out.
Ego carries you only so far. If you like to boast to your friends that you’re on the Civil Service Commission but you do not have the time to attend a meeting at which 4,000 people lost their jobs, then you’ve lost something even greater; you’ve lost sight of your purpose.
At that point, Tobias and Duplantier become just two more egocentric narcissists with no real concern for others.
How can you face yourselves in the mirror?
Louisiana Voice 
Hopefully, if any of the Jindal followers or the two absentees get sick, it might be best for them to go to Texas, Mississippi, Mexico or Arkansas for treatment, because although I’m not a health care provider, many outstanding doctors, nurses, etc., are graduates or former residents of LSUS, LSUNO, EA Conway, Moss Regional, Washington St. Tammany, EK Long, Huey P. Long, etc., and they may not want to see anyone that has abandon them and sold (or given away) their hospitals. Loyalty runs deep in the South and people don’t forget. Ask around, as many folks have used the Charity System in Louisiana for many years in the past, present and now for the future, where will they go? Does one think that if two individuals with the same problem enter a private facility, that the non paying individual will get preference over the paying individual? These facilities are in business for money, not for charity. Think about it in the morning while getting ready to face the people of Louisiana, but first take a good look at that mirror. It may be the only smile you’ll see all day!
How terrible that the predictions came true!
Little surprise that Tobias cares nothing for people, only about money. Dentists as a group are the most greedy and inconsiderate of physicians. And Duplantier is a lawyer. That says it all right there.
As with Republicans as a group, it’s all about money whereas with Democrats it’s about people. Test that observation and see for yourself that I am correct.
Tom, Is there really anything else anyone can say other than what you said, ” These Board members should resign immediately! ” Why would anyone sit on any Board and not take the appointment serious enough to show up? Their professions demand they show up or not get paid. Their lack of professionalism as state wide board members is and will be noted by people who really care about our state. Now that most of our civil service employees will soon be without a job then the need for this Commission Board is null and void. No Longer Needed! Wonder what they will say to the 4000 people who have 2 weeks left on the job? My only question to them is , ” Just curious, Where were you this morning? When did you decide being an active participating board member was no longer your responsibility to the public you served?”
Just an FYI…Terrebonne General is NOT taking over Chabert Medical Center in Houma. All laid off state employees, such as myself, that have applied for and been offered jobs, will be Ochsner Hospital employees. TERREBONNE General is just a name on the lease paper. I have a feeling that their signature as a public hospital in the same district, may have been needed to bypass that whole CMS approval that Jindal has failed to get. We also hear that the signed lease agreement is only for 3 years…..hummmmm…can anyone out there confirm that tidbit of information? If so, what happens to us after 3 years, I wonder……
Of trivial note but the north Louisiana hospitals were not on the agenda today. Just the four in south Louisiana according to what Mr. Ott posted on the earlier post. And I think it is the Shreveport hospital with the 50 blank pages. They said one guy was out of state on a family trip but I heard no explanation for the other, the dentist.
Civil Service Commissioners received hundreds (perhaps thousands) of messages against Jindal’s corporate takeover via email and phone calls. His stooges, David Duplantier, John McLure and G. Lee Griffin voted for the takeover the first time around. Duplantier can be reached at 20 Cardinal Rd., Covington 70433 or (985)892-4943. John McLure can be reached at 901 6th St. Alexandria 70301 or (318)445-5317.
The inside man, G. Lee Griffin, is President and CEO of the LSU Foundation. Before Jinidal, G. Lee might have been expected to support LSU public hospitals and the public good. He can be reached at PO 65387, Baton Rouge 70806 or (225)3297556.
Sidney Tobias, can be reached at 1126 W. Airline, LaPlace 70068 or 70084 or (985)359-7639.
Public push-back against the 2 absent commissioners and all other Jindalmen who betray the public trust may be more effective where they live.
Interestingly, these men all have church connections. Do they ask “WWJD”?
These days that translates to “What wouldn’t Jindal do?”
Sadly Alicia they received only a couple dozen emails or letters and only about 5-6 people came to speak at he meeting. And the reord shows three of those were union reps and another was a historical person concerned about the building and the land. Only Brad Ott seemed to present a solid argument but he was one voice. A great voice but just one.
good info, thanks
Thank you for your research on the SCS Commissioners. Your information provided on G. Lee Griffin in particular, WHO ALSO WAS ACTING CHAIRMAN JUNE 10 FOR THE ABSENT DUPLANTIER, — could prompt a formal appeal of the June 10th vote.
Workers desiring such can contact me directly at bradott@bellsouth.net and put SCSC appeal in the subject line. If true, Chairman Griffin needed to recuse himself from these votes.
K. Brad Ott
Advocates for Louisiana Public Healthcare
To have Titles today is more important than helping our fellow man.
People are to caught up in Self and look I am in charge or I am on this Board, the sense of (I,I,I,I,) is sickening.People forgot the need to be good leaders and good followers….Grandmothers said it best,it is clear they meant when you Sit take care of your business or get off the Pot.
Dissolve ALL boards that are not elected. Stop this insanity of ‘appointing’ people. Its too easily corrupted!
Corrupt… Piyush’s puppets… Sickening.
The civil service department should be abolished along with the commission. They no longer serve in the capacities they were created for….”to protect employees from the powers to be”. Shannon Templet will do whatever she is told to do by agency heads. This administration tramples on civil service rules that are a part of the La. Constitution without a care. I remember when I first started working for the state in 1980 there was a union and civil service protected the employees.
Excerpts from The ADVOCATE article this morning by Marsha Shuler:
http://theadvocate.com/home/6212752-125/panel-approves-hospital-takeovers
“.Commissioner Scott Hughes, who noted that the Legislature pretty well sealed the deal when it appropriated no funding for the hospitals. Hughes reversed his vote from last week.”
“Civil Service director Shannon Templet told the commission that without the funding, the layoffs were inevitable no matter the commission’s decision on the contract issue.”
““This is economic and efficient. I have not heard one person say that this has been politically driven,” Griffin said.”
“Voting against the pacts were Kenneth A. Polite Jr., of New Orleans, and Curtis “Pete” Fremin, of Morganza, the elected state employee representative.”
Ms. Shuler, who still cares about balanced reporting, as opposed to reprinting press releases, has done a really good job recapping the meeting. You have only to read the excerpts above to see nothing changed from the last meeting to this meeting. The reasons given for approval all existed last week and the financial issues were not fully resolved nor are they likely to ever be. Therefore, there is NO doubt the vote last week was for show and, therefore, as my former mentor, the late Ralph Perlman would say, meant nothing.
Thank you Stephen for your recounting of quotes of Commissioners. My ears are now on FIRE:
““This is economic and efficient. I have not heard one person say that this has been politically driven,” Griffin said.”
I for one said this LSU plan was politically motivated — but that to argue so before a Commission that views political motivations as “political beliefs” of a worker as the basis of discrimination, I admitted would be fruitless to argue before the Commission. I did say however that the Commission had to uphold under its recently enacted CSR 2.9(h) “economy and efficiency” at the same level as “discrimination” — something in which, pending further investigation, at least one Commission may have not upheld himself.
As for the votes themselves, in light of previously posted revelations of the failure of a certain SCS Commission member who did not recuse himself from either vote (and served AS ACTING CHAIR of the reversal one held June 10th; and his conflict of interest can be substantiated) — the two votes would have had the same result — a REJECTION of the LSU Charity Hospital system privatizations (4-2 first time; 2-2 tie for the second).
I do agree that Marsha Shuler of The Advocate has consistently been one of the most thorough and fair reporters around. She is also certainly the best healthcare reporter in the state.
K. Brad Ott
Advocates for Louisiana Public Healthcare
What would have happened if the Civil Service Commission had rejected the contracts and the legislature not funded the hospitals? Would not that require a special session to deal with that issue? The Civil service Commission still has the responsibility to approve or disapprove a contract based on the terms of the contract, not some outside factor such as the legislature’s failure to appropriate funds for the hospitals. They are separate issues. If they are not separate issues, then why even involve the Civil service commission? Their involvement becomes a charade.
I hope that state hospital employees (or someone or some group) will sue the Civil service Commission demanding that the contract be declared void for lack of a definable Offer and Acceptance.
Lee Griffin has the audacity to say this is “economic and efficient.” How, pray tell, can he say that when there is no or insufficient financial term details to even know what projected future costs will be incurred? Oh, I forgot. He knows this because Jindal, Kristy Nichols, Paul Rainwater, and “Mr. Indicted” Greenstein said it was so. Now there’s a group I’d put my full faith and trust in!!!
The financial details and questions the board were interested in must have been more in the tradition of, “What’s in it for me?”, than “What is best for the state”?
As a state employee, I welcome the change, and citizens should too. FINALLY, we can get rid of the dead weight around here without having to resort to reams and reams of paperwork due to the laws that protect classified employees. I hope those that took advantage of the “system” –and you know who you are–are actively looking for another job, because I for one, when asked–and I will be asked–will not rehire you. Buh Bye.
It must be a nice feeling to be able to paint everyone with the same broad brush.
Maybe the MUD will be the first one stepped on, who needs Mud anyway, only pigs!!
Sounds like someone has a personal agenda they’re working on. Very sad.
Especially when all are classified state employees and should work together not against each other!! Of course, maybe MUD is non classified and if so, that explains a lot.
Mr Aswell,
They use their rosé colored glasses to face that mirror. Sooner than later that mirror has to break, leaving them with 7 years bad luck! God help them all, but moreover; help the many civil service employees who are facing layoffs. Thank you Mr. Aswell for your impeccable reporting!
Jindal besieged state programs from day one. His systematic assault on state revenue facilitates his bogus budget cuts. From billions in tax exemptions for corporations to millions in tax credits for corporations and the affluent, Jindal’s radical right agenda has been to “starve the beast”. And he has either bullied or colluded with legislators to do so.
Just before the Jindal scourge LA State income taxes were cut and Kathleen Blanco left a surplus attributed to the high price of oil. Except for a brief recession-driven downturn in 2008 the price of oil has steadily increased and greatly exceeded Blanco-term oil prices. So where are the oil revenues we once enjoyed?
http://inflationdata.com/Inflation/Inflation_Rate/Historical_Oil_Prices_Chart.asp
A public school teacher, I can address Jindal’s education assault, while I’m certain examples are found in other areas as well.
Jindal’s $ disappearing act began his first year in office. Legislation passed that year allowed families whose children were home or non-public-schooled to deduct $5000 from state taxes. Two years later Act 2011 increased the deduction from $5000 per family to $5000 per child. The total cost to the treasury (for 2012 NO lower income voucher students) would be $9,250,000 (1850 X 5K). None of the thousands of more affluent students in the NO area alone are factored into the 9 million. Neither are the hundreds of thousands of k-12 private and parochial students across the state.
Even more destructive (and fraudulent) is HB 969 passed and signed in 2012 which requires the state to “reimburse” corporate and individual scholarship “donors” to private and parochial schools. It circumvents state law requiring that tax revenues go to public schools. Like vouchers it is unconstitutional, although it hasn’t been challenged in court yet.
But Jindal is not constrained by small things like the separation of powers, the Constitution or the Judicial Branch which ruled against vouchers for private schools. Jindal and John White, his unqualified DOE Secretary, still promise vouchers.
The countless boards and commissions controlled by Jindal such as Civil Service, BESE, LSU Supervisors and others are needed. We shouldn’t eliminate the boards, but eliminate Jindal or at least his control of them. While we’re eliminating, we must vote against Jindal’s minions in the Legislature
Ms Breaux. I agree with almost everything you write except the legal point that vouchers are unconstitutional. Granted Bobby has starved education and many other areas but vouchers are constitutional and the Supreme Court even ruled so in their ruling on Act 2. What they said was using MFP funding was unconstitutional. They agreed and set in law that vouchers are legal if the funding is general funds and not the specific MFP funds. So the original funding for the New Orleans program was leal and the money the legislature added this year is also completely legal. We can all hate Jindal for some or many of the things he has done but a key lesson in all this, including the Civil Service situation, is we have to start to separate that which is legal from that which is right. Sadly they are two very different standards and Jindal is a master of that which is “legal”. It does not make it the right thing to do or good policy, but when you have Attorney General opinions, Sumpreme Court rulings and precedent cases and a legislature who fails to generate the will as a collective body to change or adapt new laws you lose to a Govenor who can use the system legally to oppress the people. The failure in the system is the legislature since they were set up as a co branch of government. It is a dream to think the regulatory (BESE, Regents, Civil Service Commission, Etc), which is an odd mix of executive with limited judicial like powers, can trump both the executive, legislative and the judicial branches of government.
Sorry for the civics lesson rant but such governance issues are really at the core of all these issues. Elections has consequences and the voters of Louisiana are paying the price for blind loyalty to party and over simplified dogmatic politics. Remember the collective “we” voted for Bobby not once, but twice. How’s that working for us now?
mud on June 11, 2013 at 5:33 pm
As a state employee, I welcome the change, and citizens should too. FINALLY, we can get rid of the dead weight around here without having to resort to reams and reams of paperwork due to the laws that protect classified employees. I hope those that took advantage of the “system” –and you know who you are–are actively looking for another job, because I for one, when asked–and I will be asked–will not rehire you. Buh Bye.
Mud,
I’ve never heard anyone of importance with a user name “mud”! But then again, you certainly know how to sling it! And to the tune of an old Rod Stewart lyric and song, “YOU WEAR IT WELL”!!
I cede your point, David, on the fine details of vouchers and MFP funds. Nevertheless, as written, Act 2 was unconstitutional and found so in 2 levels of LA courts. A disingenuous conservative, Jindal didn’t mind wasting state money pursuing his voucher case a second time. Lunacy!
I didn’t vote for Jindal for many reasons and was dismayed so many did. His bottom of the barrel effectiveness rating and 34% absences from Congress while running for Governor by “witnessing” in N. LA churches (a huge violation of IRS 501 (C) 3 rules) foretold his current absences while running for President.
Closing Greenwell Springs Hospital as DHH Secretary under Foster, creating a surplus rather than balancing the budget as asked, proved his careless character. Citizens were so outraged then, Jindal was shipped out of state to work for Bush so Foster could get reelected. How soon most forget.
Just as this year’s legislative session opened Senators Crowe and Nevers and Rep. Schroeder all complained about Jindal’s budget subterfuge at a citizens’ meeting in Slidell. They lamented the lack of revenue to support important programs including health and education. Yet all 3 voted for HB 969 that provides unlimited kickbacks to corporations and individuals while potentially siphoning millions in revenue.
Here’s hoping all of us remember the legislators who colluded in Jindal’s devastating schemes when next they run.
I do not know why the civil service commission even bothered meeting on Monday to vote. It is clear as day that Jindal knew he would get his vote.
Unless the post office has become faster then lightning, please explain to me how a vote can be TAKEN on Monday morning and then the DHH puts 4000 layoff notices in the mail on Monday evening and they’re in the mailboxes of the DHH employees who will be laid off on TH 24Th of June?
There is no way in hell that they can type sign, address 4000 notices, put them in the mail before the postal workers stop work for the day and have the notices in the mailboxes of the laid off workers the very next day!!!
That first vote was for nothing but a show!
http://www.fox8live.com/story/22595815/8-constitutional-changes-backed-by-lawmakers
A little too late, maybe?
Humpty dumpty (the state) sat on a wall, Humpty dumpty had a great fall (jindal). All the king’s horses and all the king’s men Couldn’t put Humpty together again (the next governor and whats left of knowledgeable government employees)
Some consolidation makes sense but statewide consolidation/outsourcing will NOT save the state money.The state may contract out for a few million initially but consolidation will cost the state millions and millions. Where will the funding come from? We keep hearing about funding shortfalls. With consolidation, Public sector jobs will be eliminated and many jobs for those in the private sector who support the public sector will also be impacted. Small/local businesses will be affected and services to the public will also be impacted. Consolidation will take years. Jindal can begin the process but the next govenor will be left to put things back together but unfortunately anyone with knowledge or know how within the state will be gone. The state does not have the staff capable of pulling off consolidation nor do the vendors who have tried their hand at consolidation have had success. The question is “why now”?