Louisiana Voice

The good news is Northern Louisiana Medical Center (NLMC) in Ruston has lifted all diversions and is now “fully supplied and fully operational” as of 2 p.m. last Friday.

The bad news is the hospital was ever on diversion in the first place.

An online post last Friday served as the sole notice that things at the medical center had returned to something approaching normal after it diverted patients to other facilities because of a LACK OF SUPPLIES with which to treat the sick and injured.

State inspectors in July found a host of deficiencies at the hospital, including staff shortages and inoperable heart monitoring equipment. At the time, inspectors cautioned the hospital that it was in danger of losing its accreditation and risked closure.

NLMC is one of several hospitals and other medical facilities owned by Rock Bordelon of Bossier City who has some $14 million in federal tax liens outstanding against him.

Civic and political leaders in Ruston and Lincoln Parish have approached Bordelon in efforts to convince him to sell to either the City of Ruston or Lincoln Parish—or perhaps a combination of the two—but he has reportedly rejected an offer of $16 million.

Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports are that the hospital is indeed up for sale and that “outsiders” are bidding for the facility.

The series of events concerning NLMC prompted the Lincoln Parish Journal, an online news service reporting almost exclusively on Lincoln Parish, to post an EDITORIAL today (Sept. 15) which says, “…[T]he problems facing local healthcare have become about something much bigger than deficiencies, supplies, administrator or even the hospital itself.

“They’re about trust. Or lack thereof.”

The editorial was clear in pointing out the issue was not with doctors, nurses, technicians or other healthcare professionals who work at NLMC and Green Clinic, also owned by Bordelon.

“There are good people inside those buildings—people who live here, raise their families here and care deeply about their patients and this community. They deserve our respect and support, as well as the resources necessary to do their jobs.

“But they cant fix what we believe is the biggest problem facing the two institutions.

“Trust.”

The editorial pointed to a healthcare study done last January by Whitecap Health Advisors which documented “significant public distrust of the current hospital ownership an operation, along with concerns about the quality and availability of local healthcare services.”

“”[T]he Lincoln Parish Journal no longer believes Lincoln Parish can begin to regain confidence in Northern Louisiana Medical Centr or Green Clinic as long as Rock Bordelon owns them.

Rock Bordelon should sell Northern Louisiana Medical Cener and Green Clinic and allow others to try to rebuild healthcare in Lincoln Parish,” the editorial said.

“It’s time for a new source.”

It was not the first publication to call out Bordelon over the management of one of his facilities. Back in August 2019, the ARKANSAS LEADER which serves North Pulaski (Little Rock), Lonoke and White Counties ran an editorial in which it labeled Bordelon as a “sleazy operator” for the manner in which the newspaper claimed he “drove North Metro Medical Center in Jacksonville into the ground” and for the way he abruptly closed the hospital with no notice to the public or his employees.

Given his track record with the Jacksonville, Ark., facility, it might well behoove the leaders of Lincoln Parish to be alert for any surprises in the future from Bordelon as regards NLMC.