Overview
- Rachel Willis, 48, of Lafayette was arrested by Louisiana Bureau of Investigation agents on a forgery charge, booked in East Baton Rouge Parish, and released the same day after posting a $2,500 bond.
- Authorities allege she copied the health system CEO’s signature from internal email records and placed it on Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System letterhead without authorization.
- The document purported to commit Our Lady of Lourdes to $250,010.40 in matching funds for a HERO grant application submitted with a local technical college.
- Louisiana Department of Health officials say the application had preliminary approval for nearly $600,000 before the forged letter was flagged and no funds were released.
- The health system says the employee is no longer with the organization and credits hospital leaders with detecting the discrepancy, as state investigators continue their probe.