Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate.
Teche Regional Medical Center Announces New Name and CEO
Teche will be renamed Ochsner St. Mary, names Fernis LeBlanc CEO
Ochsner Health System (Ochsner) is pleased to announce that effective today, Teche Regional Medical Center will be renamed Ochsner St. Mary. The hospital also announced the appointment of Fernis LeBlanc as chief executive officer.
In March, Ochsner joined Governor John Bel Edwards and community leaders to share its intent to partner with Teche. The announcement was enthusiastically received by physicians, employees and community members. Governor Edwards and his administration have focused on maintaining and improving local access to healthcare throughout the state and were instrumental in the success of this partnership. All rural hospitals have stayed open and caring for patients under Governor Edwards’ leadership.
The Louisiana Attorney General’s office approved the partnership agreement on September 25 and facility management transferred to Ochsner effective today, October 1. Ochsner and LifePoint Health, the previous operator, have collaborated to ensure a smooth transition over the last several months.
“Ochsner is excited to formally launch our relationship with the St. Mary Parish community,” said Tim Allen, CEO, Bayou Region, Ochsner Health System. “Today is the culmination of months of our collaboration with Governor Edwards, St. Mary Hospital Service District 2 and LifePoint Health. This is an exciting step towards ensuring that we keep quality healthcare services local. We’d like to thank Governor Edwards for his leadership and commitment to rural healthcare. Thanks to the proactive efforts of our state and local leaders, the St. Mary Parish community will continue to have access to life-saving care close to home.”
“As Chairman of the Hospital Service District, I am charged with the duty to represent the public’s interest in providing hospital and medical care in the District. It gives me tremendous satisfaction to have now achieved the Attorney General’s approval of our new partnership with Ochsner,” said Dr. Bill Cefalu, Chairman of the Board, St. Mary Hospital Service District 2. “While the process to get here has been demanding, it has been my pleasure to work with the entire Ochsner team towards the common goal of improving the quality of care in our community. With Ochsner’s expertise in the healthcare industry, I eagerly look forward to the advancements and the stability they provide. I believe Teche Regional will be Ochsner’s greatest success story yet.”
LeBlanc, Ochsner St. Mary’s new CEO, previously served as chief operating officer of Ochsner’s Bayou Region, overseeing operations, quality and patient safety at facilities including Ochsner Medical Center - St. Anne and Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center. Leblanc joined Ochsner in 2015, where he has been instrumental in growing key services and increasing quality, safety and patient engagement scores. He earned an MBA from the University of New Orleans and received undergraduate degrees from Florida Hospital College and Delgado Community College.
For more information about Ochsner, please visit www.ochsner.org/info.
