Louisiana
More than a quarter of Louisiana’s rural hospitals at risk of closure, new report says
More than one in four of Louisianaâs rural hospitals are in precarious financial position and face the possibility of closure, according to a new report from a national health care consulting firm.
Between 26% and 30% of Louisianaâs rural hospitals fall into the âvulnerable to closureâ category, according to the report from Chartis. The consultants said the threat of closure illustrates a critical weakening of the health care in non-urban areas where the need is often the most acute and many already face high hurdles to get care.
âAmericaâs rural safety net has been in crisis for 15 years,â the report concludes. âThe mission of the safety net to serve under-resourced communities is unraveling.â
The problems afflicting Louisianaâs rural health care providers are also being felt in other states. In Florida, Nebraska, Tennessee and North Carolina, 40% or more of their rural hospitals are vulnerable to closing, the report says. Nationwide, more than 400 rural hospitals are in danger of closing, about 20% of the nationwide total, the report notes.
Almost half of rural hospitals nationwide are operating at a deficit, the report adds, a key indicator of peril. That makes it harder to serve the rural residents for whom they exist.
âThe mission of these rural hospitals is to serve the underserved; no margin, no mission,â said Michael Topchik, one of the authors of the report. The problems appear to be accelerating.
âWhen we started looking at all those metrics we had been tracking for 15 years, we were like âholy cow,ââ Topchik said. âFifteen years ago, one-third were operating in the red. Now 50% are operating in the red.â
Other factors were also considered in determining whether a hospital was at risk, including patient mix and average daily census, Topchik said.
Last time Chartis performed the study, in 2020, they identified 453 hospitals vulnerable to closure, he said. Since then, 30 of those have closed.
âThings are dire and getting worse,â he said.
The challenges are something that Dr. Brian Galofaro, chief medical officer at Our Lady of the Angels in Bogalusa, sees every day.
âMargins have always been kind of tight for rural hospitals,â he said.
Because rural populations tend to be poorer, health care providers in those areas depend more on Medicaid than many of their urban counterparts. With Medicaid as a chief source of revenue, many rural hospitals are on a razor’s edge.Â
In addition to low margins, many rural hospitals struggle to attract doctors. And more and more medical school graduates are opting for lucrative subspecialties instead of the general practice physicians needed in rural areas.
Some are attempting to address these issues.
Our Lady of the Angels hosts a rural family medicine resident program, where newly minted physicians spend three years working before they are able to go out on their own. Galofaro was the first graduate of the program. Five of its graduates have remainedin Bogalusa, he noted.
VCOM, a new medical school that opened in 2020 in a partnership with the University of Louisiana Monroe, is specifically geared to address the rural doctor shortage. Its first class is scheduled to graduate this spring. The school aims to graduate about 150 students per year.
Louisiana’s ‘largest’ ever earthquake rattles home security camera
A security camera captured the moment a 4.9-magnitude earthquake shook homes in northwest Louisiana.
Thursday’s earthquake that shook furniture and rattled pipes in the Shreveport region may have some property owners wondering whether they should consider buying insurance to cover them from potential stronger movement in the future.
The 4.9 magnitude earthquake that struck just north of Coushatta at 5:30 a.m. March 5 was the strongest onshore event in Louisiana history.
No structural damage has been reported from Thursday’s earthquake so far, but the strength of the movement may have been enough to raise concern.
“If people are concerned they should call their insurance agent and explore pricing and options,” Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple said in an interview with USA Today Network.
“It’s not an issue that has come up often in Louisiana, but if coverage can alleviate anxiety and risk it’s absolutely something homeowners and property owners should consult their agent about,” he said.
Earth movement or subsidence insurance is generally excluded from homeowners’ policies, as is flood insurance, but property owners can secure the coverage through their insurers as an add-on, called an endorsement.
Eugene Montgomery, owner of Community Financial Insurance Center in northern Louisiana, said a subsidence endorsement to cover earthquake damage would generally be inexpensive in Louisiana because of the low risk.
“The coverage itself is inexpensive, but the deductible would be high,” Montgomery told USA Today Network.
That’s the case for one Shreveport homeowner who asked not to be identified. The homeowner secured a subsidence endorsement following Thursday’s earthquake that cost $120 per year after discounts with a 10% deductible.
Republican state Sen. Adam Bass, who also operates an Allstate agency in Bossier, said most people won’t buy an add-on that’s not required by their mortgage holders no matter how inexpensive it is.
Bass said he hasn’t had any inquiries about earth movement insurance during his career.
But Montgomery said he remembers a temporary spike in those policies in 1990 when climatologist Iben Brown predicted a major earthquake would strike the New Madrid Fault in Missouri on Dec. 3 of that year, a forecast that flopped.
“It really created a little bit of a panic,” Montgomery said. “Everybody wanted insurance for a short period of time.”
Montgomery doesn’t expect a similar run on earthquake after Thursday’s event, but said he won’t be surprised if some level of interest increases.
“When people can actually feel the earth moving it gets their attention,” he said.
Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.
WASHINGTON (WAFB) — President Donald Trump has removed Kristi Noem as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and nominated Sen. Markwayne Mullin to replace her. Noem will take on the role of Special Envoy for the Shield of the Americas. Members of Louisiana’s congressional delegation responded to the change in leadership.
Kennedy clash preceded removal
Noem led DHS since the beginning of Trump’s second term. One of the most noted controversies of her tenure was the department’s spending of $220 million on television ads across the country, which drew scrutiny from Sen. John Kennedy during a committee hearing.
“Did the President know you were going to do this?” Kennedy asked during the hearing.
“Yes,” Noem replied.
Kennedy said the spending and other issues had weighed on him.
“You just add all of this up and the other turmoil and it’s been stuck in my craw,” Kennedy said. “I want to secure the border and I want to enforce our immigration laws, but I’m tired of trying to explain behavior that is inexplicable to me.”
Louisiana delegation reacts
Congressman Cleo Fields wrote on X that Noem “was not qualified to lead one of the most critical agencies in our federal government, and her tenure made it clear that she was not the right person for this role,” adding that “there is far too much at stake for anything less than exemplary leadership.”
Congressman Troy Carter, who held a congressional hearing in New Orleans regarding DHS issues, said that under Noem’s leadership, DHS and ICE “repeatedly carried out aggressive immigration operations without proper coordination with local leaders, disregarded due process, and created fear and instability in communities that deserve respect and protection under the law.”
Sen. Bill Cassidy said on social media that “securing the border is one of President Trump’s greatest achievements” and that he looks forward “to continue that success and ensure FEMA delivers for Louisiana families.”
As with all cabinet positions, Mullin will need to go through Senate confirmation to gain the cabinet seat. It is unclear when confirmation hearings will take place.
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Louisiana
Louisiana has the highest incidence of prostate cancer in the nation. See the parish data.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men, with an estimated 333,830 new cases and 36,320 deaths projected for 2026 for the disease, according to the American Cancer Society.
In the U.S., there are approximately 116 new prostate cancer cases per 100,000 people annually. Louisiana has the highest prostate cancer incidence rate in the country at 147.2 cases per 100,000 — a rate that has been steadily rising since 2014, according to data from the National Cancer Institute.
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These parishes had the highest rates, in cases per 100,000, of prostate cancer from 2018 to 2022, in descending order:
- West Feliciana Parish with 218.6 cases per 100,000;
- Iberville Parish with 182.3 cases per 100,000;
- Bienville Parish with 179.7 cases per 100,000;
- West Baton Rouge Parish with 179.4 cases per 100,000;
- Vermillion Parish with 176.5 cases per 100,000;
- Iberia Parish with 173.8 cases per 100,000;
- East Baton Rouge Parish with 173.6 cases per 100,000;
- East Carroll Parish with 172.9 cases per 100,000;
- East Feliciana Parish with 166.3 cases per 100,000;
- Tangipahoa Parish with 166.2 cases per 100,000;
- St. Martin Parish with 166 cases per 100,000;
- Jackson Parish with 165.3 cases per 100,000;
- and Lincoln Parish with 165.1 cases per 100,000.
These parishes had the lowest rates, in cases per 100,000, of prostate cancer from 2018 to 2022, in ascending order:
- Cameron Parish with 101 cases per 100,000;
- Evangeline Parish with 102.7 cases per 100,000;
- Union Parish with 106.9 cases per 100,000;
- Winn Parish with 108.2 cases per 100,000;
- Vernon Parish with 109.4 cases per 100,000;
- Grant Parish with 109.7 cases per 100,000;
- Franklin and La Salle parishes with 111 cases per 100,000;
- St. Bernard Parish with 113.9 cases per 100,000;
- Tensas Parish with 115.2 cases per 100,000;
- Terrebonne Parish with 117.5 cases per 100,000;
- Washington Parish with 121.1 cases per 100,000;
- Livingston Parish with 122.8 cases per 100,000;
- Sabine Parish with 122.9 cases per 100,000;
- Bossier Parish with 123.7 cases per 100,000;
- and La Fourche Parish with 124.8 cases per 100,000.
Data represents an annual average for all stages of prostate cancer.
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