Our Lady of Angels Hospital officially inked a contract for management services with Riverside Medical Center in Franklinton Monday.

Talks had been ongoing for weeks and the deal allowed Our Lady to appoint a new manager for the Franklinton hospital. That person is Peter Sullivan, an MBA who brings 30 years of administrative healthcare experience to the position.

The medical center had been without a CEO since March, when CEO Dr. Kyle Magee left the position.

Our Lady of the Angels CEO Rene Ragas praised the deal.

“This is a great day for Washington Parish. This partnership provides the unique opportunity for our strong healthcare traditions to deliver enhanced coordination and quality of care for the patients we are privileged to serve,” said Ragas.

Sullivan most recently served as service line administrator for Neuroscience, Orthopedics and Trauma at Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center.

“I look forward to serving alongside the talented team of professionals at Riverside Medical Center. The people of Franklinton have been very gracious. I am anxious to make the move to this wonderful community and make it my home,” Sullivan said.

“I am excited about this new chapter at Riverside Medical Center. The management contract aligns us with one of the largest providers of healthcare in the state,” said Brent King, chairman of the board of commissioners of Riverside Medical Center. “Mr. Sullivan brings to us many years of administrative experience. We look forward to his leadership and the opportunity to provide expanded services for our citizens.

“I would like to commend Lesia McQueen for her leadership during this transition period. She and our entire team have done a great job, and the board appreciates their efforts.”

In June, when the initial plan was unveiled, Ragas said he doubted patients would notice much difference after the management agreement though he hinted Riverside could go through some changes.

“I do not think that on a day-to-day basis that the patients will see any difference initially,” Ragas said then. “However, we will be assessing the entire operation and looking for opportunities to improve on every area of operation from quality to care to access to services.”

At the time, King hinted to the parish council where the plan was unveiled, that there could be some staffing shakeups with OLA at the helm, as he is anticipating the new CEO to make the hospital “more efficient” if possible.

However, King said combining the two hospitals will be a “win” for the parish.