Two New Orleans Hospitals Declared ‘Unsalvageable’ Because of Damage From Hurricane Katrina
Officials for Charity and University hospitals in New Orleans on Wednesday declared the facilities "unsalvageable" because of health hazards and a combined $445 million in damage sustained from Hurricane Katrina, the Washington Times reports (Harper, Washington Times, 10/6). Donald Smithburg -- CEO of the Louisiana State University Health Care Services Division, which oversees the hospitals -- said that the facilities, which treated about 500,000 patients annually, were "on the ropes" prior to the hurricane because of their age. LSU officials previously had sought to replace Charity and University hospitals, which were built in the in the 1930s and the 1960s, respectively (AP/Omaha World-Herald, 10/6). At Charity, the basement was completely underwater for more than one week after the hurricane, which destroyed the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems at the hospital. In addition, the hurricane floodwaters caused severe structural damage to Charity (Tandy, Baton Rouge Advocate, 10/6). Smithburg said, "Perhaps to the well-intended observer the facilities don't look much worse than they did pre-Katrina, but through the lenses of consulting engineers, the buildings have unsafe air to breathe, pervasive mold growing and mechanical systems that were completely destroyed by the storm," adding, "Both facilities are dangerous, dangerous places" (Washington Times, 10/6).
Baltimore Sun Examines Effect of Hurricanes on Mental Health Care
The Baltimore Sun on Friday looked at how hurricanes Katrina and Rita have affected Louisiana's mental health care system. The hurricanes caused the closing of more than half of the state's public hospital beds, and the facilities that remain open are dealing with an influx of patients, the Sun reports. Cheryll Bowers-Stephens, assistant secretary of the Office of Mental Health at the state Department of Health and Hospitals, said the state has lost 120 psychiatric beds because of the hurricanes. She said the loss has strained the state's mental health care system and caused a surge in the number of mentally ill patients treated in emergency departments. Central State Hospital in Pineville, La., is housing all 92 mentally ill patients evacuated from New Orleans's Charity Hospital after Hurricane Katrina and 20 patients evacuated from a psychiatric unit in Lake Charles, La., before Hurricane Rita. To care for the surge in patients, Central State CEO Tommy Davis has had to "reopen several wards, hire dozens of new workers and hope that the state will pick up the added costs," according to the Sun. In addition, some health care providers say they will seek psychological counseling themselves to deal with the emotional and mental aftereffects of caring for patients during the hurricanes. According to the Sun, the events have affected the mental health of some of the 95 staff members at Charity hospital and their families who were trapped at the hospital for five days during and after Hurricane Katrina. Michael Kaminsky, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine who is volunteering mental health care services in the Pineville area, estimated that at least 20% of the population in the area is in need of psychiatric care. "Literally everywhere you turn there is a case," he said (Birch, Baltimore Sun, 10/7).
Broadcast Coverage
NPR's "Morning Edition" on Friday included an interview with Bill Smithburg, CEO of Louisiana State University's Charity Hospital, about New Orleans' medical infrastructure (Inskeep, "Morning Edition," NPR, 10/7).
The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.
NPR's "All Things Considered" on Thursday reported on the future for Louisiana hospitals. The segment includes comments from John Matessino, CEO of the Louisiana Hospital Association; Len Nichols, a health economist with the New America Foundation; and Bob Smith, senior vice president of operations at Tenet (Prakash, "All Things Considered," NPR, 10/6).
The complete segment is available online in RealPlayer.