BRF reconsiders plan to scuttle police at hospitals

Biomedical Research Foundation is reconsidering its plan to privatize the University Health police force at its hospitals in Shreveport and Monroe after “grave concerns” were raised by LSU and officers, foundation Chairman Steve Skrivanos said Monday.

Officers said they were told Friday the transition would begin Sept. 30.

“We are going to revisit the plan,” Skrivanos said.

Current police officers — 31 at University Health in Shreveport and 11 at University Health Conway in Monroe — are state civil service employees.

When BRF secured the contract to operate the two hospitals in 2013 as part of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s plan to privatize the Louisiana’s charity hospital system, most of the hospitals’ state employees were transitioned to BRF employees. The police force was an exception.

Skrivanos said the plan to privatize the police force and replace it with a private security force was part of the ongoing transformation. “Nobody would lose his or her job and they would have the same salary,” he said.

But LSU, which operates its medical school in association with the hospitals, and the officers are resisting the plan.

“We have expressed our grave concerns to (University Health) about the proposed plan,” Sally Croom, executive director of communications for LSU Health Shreveport, said in an email to Gannett Louisiana. “Foremost we are concerned for the safety of our students, medical residents, faculty and staff as they come and go from the hospitals and clinics in Shreveport and Monroe. Patient safety is also paramount.”

Croom said officers have been dispatched more than 27,000 times so far this year with 29 arrests at University Health Shreveport alone. Security guards don’t have the authority to make arrests.

“The University Police Department force consists of commissioned and trained police officers who have faithfully served to provide 24/7 safety and security since BRF took over operation of the hospitals and clinics in 2013,” Croom said.

Skrivanos said BRF always intended to have a police presence available to assist security guards when needed. He said the foundation and LSU are having ongoing discussions about the future of the police force at the hospitals.

“We’re not going to do anything to compromise the safety of employees, patients, visitors or doctors,” Skrivanos said.

University Police Sgt. Denise Walker, president of the local union representing the force, said officers “are very concerned about their future.”

“The concerns aren’t just for their personal careers but for the safety of those at the hospitals,” Walker said.

Relations between BRF and LSU are contentious. LSU filed a breach of contract notice against the foundation this summer. BRF responded by saying the university had no standing to file the breach notice on the grounds it presented and defended its management in a detailed response to LSU last week.

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