As hospitals across the state grapple with the possibility of rationing health care for impoverished residents, several local groups are working together to etch out the basics of a Baton Rouge master plan conjured five years ago.
Despite the various challenges, the plan will endure. Those working on the project have high hopes for the potential result.
John Spain, executive vice president for the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, said his organization plans to fulfill the legacy of the 2011 report. What started out as searching for solutions to the capital region’s traffic congestion problem turned into a full-fledged health district upgrade, he said.
“We expanded it beyond just the initial scope of transportation and traffic related issues, and we said, ‘Now, let’s look at the future of healthcare,’” Spain said.
In addition to street improvements projected at $30-50 million, the finished product could include a revamped health district complete with hospital cooperation, a Diabetes and Obesity Center, a specialized branch of the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans and emergency response.
Spain said the project will take anywhere from five to 10 years to complete.
William Cefalu, executive director of LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, said diabetes and obesity are interrelated chronic diseases. The total direct and indirect cost of diabetes to the state is roughly $5.4 billion per year, while obesity-related health conditions have about a $2.9 billion price tag annually, he said.
Cefalu said 10.3 percent of Louisianians were diabetic in 2014. He said the state ranks fourth in adult obesity, claiming approximately 35 percent of the population.
“This type of center has the potential to change the way these chronic diseases are diagnosed, prevented, managed and treated and, as a result, significantly impact the health of the Baton Rouge population,” Cefalu said.
With a proposed mission to “to enhance the wellness and quality of life of our region,” he said the center would integrate with primary care and specialty care clinics to incorporate behavioral and preventative practices into patients’ overall treatment regime.
Though the location of the Diabetes and Obesity Center has not yet been finalized, Cefalu said Pennington Biomedical would welcome the opportunity to host it.
Under the auspices of the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, Spain said the Baton Rouge branch would offer a program combining a traditional curriculum with an engineering twist.
“I think it would be an offering that would allow the New Orleans medical school to have a program here that is an expansion of what they have here now,” he said.
Michael DiResto, Baton Rouge Area Chamber’s senior vice president for economic competitiveness, said the proposed renovations could elevate the district’s market competitiveness to “destination healthcare,” putting the region on the map as a center of excellence.
“[The plan] is going to try to really accentuate the assets that we have in the region,” DiResto said.
As BRAC closely monitors the special legislative session to determine the future of private-public hospital partnerships, DiResto said the challenge comes in securing sustainable funding for the region. Spain said the mayor promised to “find the money” to construct the first new street.
He said BRAF will conduct interviews later this month for an executive director to oversee developmental progress, and he anticipates to fill the position sometime in March.