Louisiana hospitals question hiring freeze

The Charity Hospital System has raised an alarm that Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal's state government hiring freeze is impairing its effort to fill vacancies for more than 100 registered nurses and 200 other jobs in New Orleans to rebuild the public healthcare system. With patients waiting 120 days on average for primary care appointments and a patient load that has increased 24 percent in the past six months, Charity is pursuing an expansion plan that could come to a grinding halt if the hiring process is stymied, hospital officials said.