01.04.12 The Jindal administration’s latest budget balancing will trigger more than $29 million in cuts throughout the LSU public hospital system before the June 30 end of the current state budget year.

LSU System Vice President Fred Cerise said Tuesday the reductions will mean employee layoffs, as well as fewer available hospital beds and program eliminations at the seven hospitals in LSU’s Health Care Services Division. The HCSD hospitals, located in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, New Orleans, Houma, Bogalusa, Independence and Lake Charles, are bracing for $29 million in cuts, he said.