BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — By law, the LSU hospitals and clinics are required to serve inmates housed in either state or local correctional facilities.

A Jindal administration official said Monday that LSU's outpatient surgery center off Perkins Road would become a "mini-hospital" providing prisoner and general population care when Earl K. Long Medical Center closes in north Baton Rouge.

State Department of Health and Hospitals Secretary Bruce Greenstein said the satellite surgical facility will be turned into a small hospital. This would allow LSU to continue operating its outpatient clinics that serve the Baton Rouge area.

Without a hospital affiliation, The Advocate reports federal funds could not be generated to finance the LSU clinic operations.

The Perkins Road outpatient surgery center is licensed for 66 beds in semi-private rooms.

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