Save Charity Hospital

Hospital Controversy Not Exclusive To New Orleans

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:45:36 -0400

Hospital Controversy Not Exclusive To New Orleans:

While we’ve been focusing on exposing the folly of abandoning Charity Hospital for a costly, uncertain, and destructive medical complex in Lower Mid-City, we’ve come to realize that LSU has been threatening public hospitals throughout the state. Check out this article from yesterday’s Advocate about the proposed closure of Earl K. Long Medical Center in Baton Rouge.

LSU President John Lombardi Grows Frustrated Last Wednesday,...

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:42:09 -0400

LSU President John Lombardi Grows Frustrated

Last Wednesday, after the House Health and Welfare Committee unanimously passed HB 780 and Treasurer John Kennedy delivered a stinging public rebuke of the financing underpinning LSU’s new medical center proposal, LSU President Dr. John Lombardi spoke to an audience of supporters at a university event here in New Orleans.

Suasan Edwards of WWLTV reported on the talk as part of the station’s coverage of the day’s events but did not go into great detail. We were curious about what was said and were appreciative that LSU made audio of Mr. Lombardi’s talk available at their website. BEFORE you click that link, be warned that audio plays automatically and Mr. Lombardi, who is introduced at approximated five minutes into the clip, uses language that may not be appropriate if you’re reading from work.

While Dr. Lombardi may raise some valid points, the confrontational tone he takes toward the Legislature and toward New Orleans itself distracts from whatever substance he may have been trying to convey. We have been able to extract some examples but please do listen to the whole audio so that you can rest assured that the clips we’ve isolated are indeed emblematic of the tone of Dr. Lombardi’s speech and responses during Q & A. While not the whole story, we found Lombardi’s posturing, especially as it relates to the Legislature, to be quite newsworthy and were surprised no media accounts made mention of it.

Governor Jindal Pressures LSU

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:33:02 -0400

Yesterday, Governor Bobby Jindal spoke to reporters and conceded that LSU’s so-called business plan remains insufficient.

“They will tell you they have a business plan,” Jindal said of the university system that runs the state’s public hospital system. “My point is that they need more details.”
“I do think we need to move forward,” Jindal said. But he added that Nowlin raises a legitimate concern about cobbling together the footprint with many lingering questions surrounding the project.

Read the full story at SaveCharityHospital.com