Healthcare

DHH chief Levine accused of “dubious” expense practices

From the Broward New Times: Alan Levine, Governor Jindal’s appointee to lead the state Department of Health and Hospitals collected $35,000 from Florida’s Broward County Community Hospital for moving expenses despite the fact that he never actually moved there.

Review of hospital plan raises eyebrows

From the Times-Picayune: Some fear Governor is trying to stall construction on new VA hospital.

More Bad News for the Gulf Coast

Scientists at NASA and LSU claim that sediments deposited in the Mississippi River Delta thousands of years ago are contributing to coastal erosion by causing coastal land to sink. According to the study, the city of New Orleans will sink about three feet over the next 200 years.

Jindal Backs off Hiring Freeze

From the Associated Press: Thaw Opens Door for LSU Hospital system to Meet Demand for Doctors, Nurses.

Jindal, Davis Slowing Alleviation of Hospital’s Critical Needs

Regarding Governor Jindal’s hiring freeze, the Charity Hospital System faces

… patients waiting 120 days on average for primary care appointments…a patient load that has increased 24 percent in the past six months, [and] an expansion plan that could come to a grinding halt if the hiring process is stymied. [The Times-Picayune]

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Jindal’s Hiring Freeze Stymies Gov’t Agencies

Angele Davis is requiring government agencies to detail their need to hire new employees. State health and higher-education officials, among others, say the process will slow hiring for critical positions.

More at The Advocate.

The Big Job Freeze

You may have heard that our new Governor isn’t hiring (actually, hirings are now up to Angele Davis). If you’re curious about which jobs are no longer available, have a look here. Lots of openings are in youth development and corrections, which I assume are cosmically united professions. But many are related to mental health, public health, healthcare, and the environment. Hate to tell you this, Northeast Louisiana, but you won’t be getting those cosmetology inspectors.