Cassidy Announces Millions to Make Burbank Drive Safer, Visits Woman’s Hospital

BATON ROUGE - This morning, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) attended an event celebrating the $2 million he secured for Burbank Drive safety improvements through the appropriations process. These improvements will ensure families coming to and from the Burbank Soccer Complex can do so safely.

"Creating a turning lane so that the thousands of people who go into the Burbank Soccer Complex can enter safely is common sense," said Dr. Cassidy. "This is me working on the federal level with local officials to better serve the people of St. George, Baton Rouge, and Louisiana."

Burbank Drive is one of the busiest thoroughfares in St. George, and the Burbank Soccer Complex serves hundreds of families and children each week. Due to the current lack of intersection control, there have been many traffic incidents as families have to cross multiple lanes of fast-moving traffic to return home. The Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development appropriation will help improve access to Burbank Drive and add additional J-turn lanes, making the area safer and improving traffic flow.

During his announcement, Cassidy stood with many local officials praising the project, including St. George Mayor Dustin Yates.

"The Burbank Drive Project is exactly the kind of infrastructure investment our community needs - targeted, impactful, and focused on safety," said Mayor Yates. "We're proud to partner with Senator Cassidy to deliver real improvements that will benefit residents in a major way and enhance safety for families who use this area every day."

Later, Cassidy visited Woman's Hospital, where he met with their Chief Executive and Medical Officers, and toured their hospital. Cassidy recently introduced legislation to improve telehealth services for pregnant and postpartum women. Additionally, as Chairman of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Cassidy is leading the Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act, helping doctors better identify patients at risk for lung cancer.

"As Louisiana looks to improve how mothers do before, during, and after their pregnancy, Woman's Hospital is on the leading edge, including having only one of 5 maternal mental health units in the nation," said Dr. Cassidy. "As we strive to be the best, Woman's Hospital shows how it can be done."

Mr. Rene Ragas, CEO of Woman's Hospital, welcomed Cassidy to the hospital.

"We were pleased to welcome Senator Bill Cassidy to our campus today, providing an opportunity to learn more about Woman's Hospital, our mission to improve the lives of women and infants, and to see firsthand the care we provide to our community through a tour of key areas, including our NICU, Perinatal Mental Health Unit, and Cancer Pavilion," said Mr. Ragas.

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