Webster Parish Police Jury approves consultant to review Minden hospital's financial situation

MINDEN, La. — Doctors at Minden Medical Center don’t have the medical supplies they need to treat patients, causing many to send their patients to other hospitals.

And that’s among the doctors who still work there. Others have already left.

That’s just some of the assertions and concerns discussed at Tuesday’s Webster Parish Police Jury meeting, where members voted to share costs with the City of Minden to employ a consultant to determine the financial condition and viability of the hospital.

"What I'm going to say is public knowledge," said Police Jury President Jim Bonsall, "they are $190 million ... in debt over 30 days.

The parish and city officials need reliable information to determine "what is actually going on" and whether there is a path to keeping the hospital open, he said.

The Police Jury will pay $7,500 toward the $15,000 consultant fee with the hope of getting answers through an independent assessment of the hospital’s finances.  

Minden Medical Center’s dismal financial picture became public earlier this year when more and more unpaid tax notices and property liens hit local court records. In June alone, records indicated the hospital’s owner, Allegiance Health Management, faced over $41 million in unpaid federal payroll taxes and owed hundreds of thousands more to service vendors.

The Police Jury, at its meeting in June, sent a resolution and documentation of complaints to the state health department asking for a review of the hospital’s operations. The resolution stated the Police Jury received information about the hospital’s financial instability, patient care, staffing, equipment failure and facility maintenance.

Bonsall is uncertain if the health department has investigated the claims. He’s “heard” it’s been done, but no information has been communicated to the Police Jury.

Bonsall has since met with Rock Bordelon, owner of Allegiance Health Management, along with the hospital’s current CEO Keith Cox. Bordelon “talked without taking a breath. He’s a good talker,” Bonsall said.

“But, the truth is, when he got through talking, I didn’t know if anything you say was the truth, if everything you said was the truth or partially true, whatever, you know. But what I do know is people that I know, people that are friends of mine, tell me different than what he’s saying,” Bonsall said.

He also asked the Assistant District Attorney Patrick Jackson, the Police Jury’s legal counsel, to weigh in on the taxes the hospital owes to the parish.

Jackson’s response: “Well, the smoke from this organization seems to be pretty thick … and since your meeting that day I have received three promises of payment on the tax that have come and gone with ‘It’ll be here next week.’”

Jackson said he believes the consultant will find out “these folks are broke. The money’s been used for other purposes.”

The condition of Minden’s hospital is in stark contrast to the Springhill hospital, which Bonsall spoke highly of, saying it’s doing “better than ever with good management.”

There may come a time the Police Jury needs to work with others on a solution for a new hospital for the rest of the parish beyond Springhill.

“And if we find out that it can’t be, that we can’t revive it … then I think the people in south end of the parish need to start trying to figure out how we go get a hospital there. You know that, that’s just my opinion. That’s just based on what I know,” Bonsall said.

Bonsall also said Minden Medical Center’s Board of Directors “have absolutely no power” to intervene.

Tax problems

Three new tax liens have been filed by the IRS against Bordelon personally since May. One totals almost $2.8 million, another for just over $12 million and the third for $3.3 million.

Court records indicate a federal judgements was filed in March – but recorded on Monday in the Bossier Clerk of Court’s office – for $2 million in favor of the plaintiff, Sodexo CTM LLC

In March of this year, the IRS filed two separate federal tax lien notices against VLHG-Minden LLC -- the corporate name for the hospital -- with the Bossier Parish Clerk of Court’s office.

The tax liens detail unpaid balances from December 2021 through June 2025 on one notice and from October 2020 through April 2024 on the other. One shows an unpaid balance assessment of $13.7 million, while the other tops $28 million. 

There is no indication any payment had been made, which would prompt the IRS to release the lien. A lien is a legal claim against property to secure payment of a tax debt. The next step would be a levy, where the IRS could actually take possession of the property.