Northshore Medical Complex opened in the former Louisiana Heart Hospital building, providing post-acute care services for the Northshore region. Working together as partners, Ochsner Health System (OHS), St. Tammany Parish Hospital (STPH), and Slidell Memorial Hospital (SMH) are offering long-term acute care and rehabilitation services in one location at 64026 Highway 434 in Lacombe.
“This facility is the first of its kind in St. Tammany, and it brings a world-class level of care to our residents, and jobs to our local workforce,” said Pat Brister, St. Tammany Parish president. “We are excited about the commitment of OHS, STPH, and SMH to work together and provide quality medical care close to home.”
As the population on the Northshore grows, this partnership provides the opportunity to improve clinical coordination, allow more patients to receive care close to home, and reduce the overall cost of healthcare. Nationwide trends show people are living longer, and advances in medical treatments are increasing the lifespan of patients with debilitating diseases. This creates an immediate need for more access to post-acute care services across the country.
With an investment of $15 million over five years, the Northshore Medical Complex includes the 30-bed Northshore Rehabilitation Hospital and 58-bed Northshore Extended Care Hospital.
The Northshore Rehabilitation Hospital is operated by Select Medical and provides intensive rehabilitative care in an inpatient setting.
“The partners have worked together to plan and open this specialized destination care center for patients upon discharge from the hospital to provide post-acute care right here in St. Tammany Parish,” said John Herman, CEO, Northshore Region, OHS. “All services involve additional partnerships with national best-in-class providers. Northshore Medical Complex is a new, innovative approach in this region to incorporate transparency and visibility into care for patients and enhance continuity of care, patient satisfaction, and quality outcomes.”
The Northshore Extended Care Hospital is designed to provide long-term acute care for the most critically ill patients. OHS, STPH and SMH are partnering with LHC Group to provide these services.
“This partnership enhances post-acute care options for residents of St. Tammany Parish and provides a better quality of care all in one location, allowing patients to progress as they improve after they leave the hospital,” said Joan Coffman, president and CEO, STPH. “Together, STPH and OHS are committed to enhancing access to care, improving quality, advancing patient-centered technology, and reducing the overall cost of care to invest in more for our patients.”
In addition to expanding access to post-acute care services, the new facility offers outpatient imaging services and houses the Northshore Region Service Center for administrative support functions. Outpatient imaging services includes x-ray, CT, MRI, and ultrasound. The service center houses over 100 non-clinical employees with room to accommodate expected population growth in St. Tammany Parish.
“SMH and OHS formed a strategic partnership to expand access to care, advance quality and innovation, and increase value for our patients, and this new complex is the next step in centralizing and growing healthcare services for St. Tammany Parish,” said Kerry Tirman, CEO, SMH | Ochsner. “Through partnerships like this one, SMH and Ochsner Medical Center–Northshore have the opportunity to make a significant investment in our community by offering critical post-acute care services, growing jobs, and expanding administrative services on the Northshore.”