Tangipahoa Parish emergency department named after governor’s mother

The emergency department at Lallie Kemp Medical Center in Independence will be renamed after Gov. John Bel Edwards’ mother, Dora Jean Edwards. The LSU Board of Supervisors approved the designation at the public charity hospital Friday, the governor’s office  said.

Dora Jean Edwards, who died earlier this year, spent the majority of her career working as a nurse at Lallie Kemp, which focuses on treating uninsured and low-income residents in Tangipahoa Parish and the surrounding area. 

The governor credited his mother’s career at the hospital with inspiring him to improve health care access in Louisiana. One of Edwards’ first actions as governor was to enact Medicaid expansion, which gave more low-income people health insurance.

“She dedicated her life to serving others and instilled those same values in me and my brothers and sister,” Edwards said in a statement his office released Friday. “Because of the many patients she cared for during her long career as a nurse, she understood the importance of improving access to affordable care, and as governor, I have made improving health outcomes a priority.” 

Members of the LSU Board of Supervisors are appointed by the governor and oversee Lallie Kemp as a state-owned hospital.