Downtown Development District’s Position on the New Academic Medical Center and VA Hospital Plans

• Delivering top-notch health care to the citizens of New Orleans and Louisiana;
  
• Providing advanced medical education to Louisiana’s next generation of health care professionals and adequately prepare them for the changing world of medicine; and
  
• Anchoring the bioscience industry in New Orleans – a critical component of the region’s economic future.

The proposed sites were selected after receiving comment from dozens, if not hundreds, of interested parties, at well-publicized meetings attended by hundreds of people.  The State and VA made informed decisions to build modern, state-of-the-art facilities that will best serve the needs of veterans and the citizens of Louisiana.  In the interest of serving our city’s and state’s medical needs, and the needs of those who have bravely served our nation, we must proceed without delay to build these facilities.

The DDD believes that the new medical centers should be designed so that they complement the walkable, mixed use, and transit-friendly development pattern that is among New Orleans’ most charming features.  The DDD has worked alongside ORDA, the Planning Commission, HDLC and RPC to encourage sensitive and sustainable design – design that creates strong connections to the Tulane University Health Sciences Center, Downtown, and surrounding neighborhoods.  Recent plans show that we are making good progress, and we look forward to new medical centers that fit within the fabric of the neighborhood and are seen as indispensible neighborhood assets.

While the new academic medical centers pave the way for exciting advancements and innovations in Louisiana’s health care system, we must find new and appropriate uses for Old Charity.

There are considerable reasons to have reservations about the FHL concept for renovating Old Charity.  Most significantly, it is NOT an apples-to-apples comparison to the current academic medical center plans.  Its cost estimate does not include the cost of space for ambulatory services, which is a key component of the proposed new academic medical center.  The suggestion that renovating Old Charity would be cheaper or faster than building a new academic medical center is simply wrong.

Furthermore, alarmist suggestions that Old Charity will be demolished if it is not renovated for hospital use are false and misleading. In fact, the DDD has received several expressions of interest from experienced, reputable firms that have an interest in redeveloping Old Charity – for primarily residential use.

In the case of Old Charity, we need to heed the lessons of the past that clearly demonstrate that buildings outlive the use for which they were originally designed.  Our own Downtown Warehouse District is a perfect example.  When its structures were built, they were state of the art industrial and commercial buildings. Yet, no one would suggest today that they are the proper location for modern industrial uses.  Instead, they have been reborn as magnificent condominiums, apartments, art galleries, and restaurants.  They live on, but in new and appropriate ways.

This is the logical future for Old Charity – which for decades has made great contributions to the physical fabric and economy of New Orleans. We can preserve its rich architectural foundation while creating new residential and commercial spaces to complement the medical industry surrounding it.

In conclusion, it is critically important to the future of New Orleans - and the state of Louisiana- that we move forward with the construction of the new Academic Medical Center and VA Hospital soon as possible. They offer the best option for delivering top-notch health care, providing the highest quality medical education, and growing a needed bioscience industry in New Orleans. These new facilities are projected to provide approximately 6,000 jobs and $1.25 billion of annual economic impact, which makes them vital parts of our city’s future that we cannot delay.