Ferriday, La.-based Riverland Medical Center's board of directors voted unanimously to suspend surgery services due to "massive" departmental losses, according to the Concordia Sentinel.
The board voted on Aug. 25 to suspend the hospital surgery program within 60 days because of a "massive loss" incurred in the prior 18 months.
Meanwhile, Riverland is building a $36 million medical complex that's slated to open in August 2020.
Plans say the new 61,000-square-foot hospital will include a surgery department. According to board chairman Jim Graves, suspending surgery at the existing facility is a temporary measure.
During a Concordia Parish Police Jury meeting, jurors sought answers as to why the hospital's surgery revenues and referrals were down. They also scrutinized the hospital's recruitment efforts.
Police Jury President Jimmy Wilkinson referenced a financial audit showing that the hospital's surgical center posted a net profit of $750,000 in 2018.