Articles and Resources on the various attempts at "Neighborhood Planning" in Post-Katrina New Orleans
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Articles on Public Housing in New Orleans, post-Katrina.
Doctors Without Hospitals
Peoples' Hurricane Relief Fund and Oversight Committee (PHRF Health committee),
Dear everyone,
Having just endured another LA Healthcare Redesign Collaborative working group (Short-term Priorities), it has become increasingly clear that a step-by-step plan to re-open Charity Hospital and reclaim public healthcare must be publicly presented.
During today's meeting both the private hospitals and parish-run facilities like East and West Jefferson warned that if THEY are not allocated recovery dollars, one of their number may go out of business and severe cutbacks are promised for the remainder. Nearly lost in all this was the closure of Charity Hospital. It was looking like it would be totally unspoken -- until after the fifth time private hospital lobbyist Jack Finn pleaded for funds for the private hospitals, I made my comments and raised up about why Charity remains closed -- which I feel unfortunately are falling on deaf ears.
It is increasingly aware to me that my participation in this "redesign" process is becoming untenable. I still plan to file formal public records requests, potentially as soon as next Thursday, of Don Smithburg and Dr. Fred Cerise, for their respective agency / executive decisions regarding the stopping of efforts to restore Charity Hospital, and the return of nearly $350 million back to FEMA of federal relief in the weeks following Katrina. However, the private hospital forces are in their final push towards claiming federal medicare preference. This in effect could doom the very funding of the entire Charity Hospital system, much less seal for good the current fate of Avery C. Alexander Charity Hospital campus. We need to offer a real alternative.
Post-Katrina New Orleans is undergoing a major healthcare crunch. Below are a list of articles centered the public healthcare crisis in New Orleans pre and post Katrina.