Charity Hospital

New Orleans is not Haiti

by: Louisiana 1976

Mon Jan 18, 2010 at 20:08:12 PM CST

Ever since the Haiti earthquake happened, it has invited quite a few comparisons to the disaster brought about in New Orleans by the federal flood. There are even those in the mainstream media who have asked if this quake is going to turn out to be Obama's "Katrina."

This is not surprising because there are some similarities in the situations--for example, the slowness in rescuing and getting aid to the survivors--which reminds casual observers of the way New Orleanians had to wait a week for food, water and rescue after her levees failed. Also, these catastrophes are manmade--Haiti's because of shoddily-constructed buildings, New Orleans' because of poorly-built and maintained levees--both of which had been disasters waiting to happen.

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Saving Charity Back on the Front Burner?

by: ryan

Wed Jun 24, 2009 at 15:00:00 PM CDT

Strange things are happening in the current legislative session. Usually when a bill fails to pass in either the House or the Senate, that bill is dead for the session. Apparently, that's not the case this year. HB 780 (pdf alert), the bill that would have prohibited the state from buying up the land necessary to build the Charity Hospital that LSU wants that was killed in the Senate Education Committee by none other than New Orlean's own State Senator Ann Duplessis.

However, since LSU is bickering over the composition of the board to oversee the new Charity, the state has decided to halt the acquisition process in an attempt to leverage their power of the purse. More importantly, it appears that the State Senate may have revived a bare-bones version of HB 780 ... thanks to State Senator Jack Donahue, who is the sponsor of Senate Resolution 116 (pdf alert), which:

"requests the LSU Board of Supervisors to submit all of its existing business plans and all supporting data for the development of a replacement for the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans to the Senate by 3 pm on Tuesday, June 23, 2009."

It'll be interesting to see if LSU wins this battle, or lose it. For what it's worth, as an LSU Law grad, I think they ought to lose this one for the simple reason that the money just ain't there for LSU to build all three phases of their proposed complex. Makes far more sense to gut Charity, and use the shell to rebuild a world-class facility. And it can be done, according to this report, for half the cost of building a whole new complex:

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Saving Charity ... Support HB 780

by: ryan

Wed Jun 10, 2009 at 20:16:41 PM CDT

I'm literally stealing this entire post from the folks over at Save Charity Hospital. Somehow, I don't think they'll mind the amplification of their efforts.

Click here to write to the Senate Education Committee in support of House Bill 780!

We've been working hard to pass House Bill 780, the straightforward proposal to safeguard taxpayers and residents from overzealous land seizures and demolitions in the proposed medical complex footprint. By prohibiting the state from expropriating private property until a viable financing plan is approved by the Legislature, the bill protects New Orleans against the real threat of abandoned or unfinished development projects.

When it was first proposed in the House, it looked like a long shot. Yet, because of all the hard work of people who really care about this issue, it made it through the Health and Welfare Committee without objection before it was passed overwhelmingly by the full House by a 94-2 vote.

Now, the bill goes to the Senate.

TOMORROW, it will be up for a vote in front of the Education Committee.

Our representatives in Baton Rouge are extremely busy and need to hear why this bill is so important.

Please call and write the Senators of the Education Committee. Click Here!

In the New Orleans area, there are two important Senators that may need some extra encouragement.

Senator Ann Duplessis has been working very hard to secure support for Methodist Hospital, demonstrating her commitment to health care in New Orleans. So we know that if she hears from us about how HB 780 helps ensure that the full funding is in place for a medical complex, she'll be an important ally on the Education Committee.

We must win her support. Tell her to vote YES on HB 780 and YES to basic taxpayer and homeowner protection.

Give her a call at (504) 243-7795 and tell her "Yes on 780!"

Sen. Conrad Appel also sits on the Education Committee and represents parts of Lakeview and Jefferson Parish. He must also hear from you on HB 780.

Call him at (504) 838-5550 and tell him to vote YES on fiscal responsibility and this important safeguard of private property rights.

The folks over at Save Charity Hospital have created one of the best single issue advocacy websites I've ever seen. And it doesn't hurt that they are absolutely right on the issue.

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