The Associated Press State & Local Wire
April 17, 1999
Hospital suspends executive
Dateline: Greensburg, La.
St. Helena Parish Hospital has suspended the staff privileges of its chief executive officer who is also a psychiatrist at the hospital, according to a letter signed by the chief of staff.
Thursday’s action against Dr. Phillip Louis Cenac Jr. applies only to his medical privileges and not to his position as chief executive officer, L.E. Stringer explained in the letter.
“This unanimous suspension by the medical staff was based on multiple occurrences of unethical practices of medicine,” Stringer wrote.
The letter, which became effective upon delivery to Cenac on Friday, did not provide details of the “unethical practices of medicine.”
Cenac could not be reached for comment and hospital spokesman Tony Ardillo Jr. said he had been instructed not to say anything on the matter.
On Tuesday, the parish Police Jury voted to accept written complaints concerning the hospital and its staff in order to determine if an investigation into the hospital’s practices and administration is necessary.
The hospital’s administration already faces questions about expenditures and its budget, said Kathy Singleton, chairman of the hospital’s board of directors. Among those questions is whether a management fee of more than $ 510,000 a year is warranted, she said.
The large management fee causes a burden on the hospital’s small budget, Stringer said.
“It’s a lot of money for a one-horse hospital,” he said.
The 29-bed hospital, which also has an affiliated nursing home, has been treating patients since the 1960s.