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MONEYThe proposed LSU/VA medical centers would cost $2 billion. The LSU half will cost at least $1.2 billion for “phase 1.” Yet, the project can’t get off the ground. LSU is hundreds of millions of dollars short, can’t get started, and has no viable plan to obtain financing. The Charity Hospital plan would save $283 Million on the hospital portion alone. |
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LIVESBefore Hurricane Katrina, there were 2,580 inpatient hospital beds in the city. Four years later, there are only 758. Mortality, morbidity, and suicide rates remain unacceptable. New Orleans faces a healthcare crisis because of the refusal to reopen Charity Hospital. |
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A NEIGHBORHOODRebuilding a modern facility inside Charity Hospital would avoid the unnecessary eviction and demolition of 70 acres of a historic neighborhood in Lower Mid-City. Residents there have perservered to return and many have used their life savings to do so. |
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A LANDMARKBuilt out of solid limestone in 1939, Charity Hospital is an art deco icon. Its elevator distribution and ceiling heights were so ahead of their time that they were made the standard. It withstood the storm, and a new hospital built inside the facade of Charity will serve for decades to come. |
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DOWNTOWNMoving the hospitals into Mid City will leave downtown New Orleans abandoned and struggling economically. Reopening Charity Hospital and moving the VA closer to the medical district will put business back into the business district. |
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OUR CITYNew Orleans deserves better than destructive projects hatched in backroom deals. We cannot afford to set such a dangerous precedent in which elected officials offer residential neighborhoods up for demolition, outside the normal democratic processes designed to protect our community. |
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