For most of the year a rumor has circulated in our neighborhood regarding the Lindy Boggs Medical Center. That’s the hospital at Jeff Davis and Bienville which old-timers still call Mercy. It’s the same hospital that was knocked out of commission by flooding. Most recently it was in the news when Tenet Health Care sold the property to Victory Real Estate Investments for redevelopment as a massive retail outlet.
After Katrina, when Oschner bought a number of properties from Tenet, they took a pass on the Lindy Boggs facility. And that’s where the rumor comes in: Supposedly, as a part of the big deal between these giants, a covenant was put on the Lindy Boggs facility stipulating that it could not be sold to any health care provider for some number of years.
Standard business procedure, eliminating potential competition. But in a community recovering from a massive disaster, it just leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
It was never covered in the media to my knowledge, but that rumor now seems to be confirmed. A group of physicians was poised to buy the facility and re-open it as a hospital. They would have paid what Victory paid. But they couldn’t close the deal, apparently because of the covenant. My source is a doctor who has first-hand knowledge of the deal.
So there you have it. Oschner screwed us. Instead of the restoration of the health care facility we desired, my neighborhood gets a shopping mall. I have friends who work for Oschner, fine people, and I’m sure they provide decent care. It’s all in the past now anyway, water under the bridge. But I’ll never forget.
I’m so angry I could puke.
Oschner was always the bad guy in this story for me. When I heard about this I was very irritated at Oschner and I want the retail development. I just want the hospital more. I was born in Mercy. Given a choice between a hospital and retail on that corner I’d take the hospital. If I can’t have the hospital, I welcome the retail development. What is unacceptable is nothing. What is also unacceptable is more “affordable housing” projects.
Ochsner long ago reached that point where a “health care corporation” stops being centered around the “health care” aspect and centers itself around the “corporation” aspect. For those who call the shots on the big picture issues the emphasis is on business, with less consideration about just what kind of business it is that they’re in.
It makes me sick too B, thanks for writing about this.
What also makes me sick is Victory looking for Recovery Funds for the demolition. Funds that may have been better spent elsewhere..anywhere.
Wow. I wonder how many other things like this are going on. It’s really scary and depressing.
It did make the news but can’t pull links on Blackberry. The willing buyers is new. Oschner has become the monster that wants to take over all health care here and should be avoided by anyone who cares about the future of NO.
The same thing happened when Tenet sold JoEllen Smith. The community, a large portion of which is elderly, was deprived of a convenient community-based healthcare facility.
[…] New Orleans blogger finds there’s more than conspiracy chatter to the rumor about Oschner hospital blocking the re-opening of Lindy Boggs Medical Center by putting a “no-compete” covenant on the dormant hospital at Bienville and Jeff […]
[…] Story on the front page of today’s paper confirms what I wrote in November. […]
To whom it may concern
I need a paper document the same document I received when I was in for treatrement of a fracture of the left Tuperosity of the Humourus. I need ithis paper because I am going to apply for disability through a lawyer.
Thank you
Ross Roy
8500 Hickory St
New Orleans La, 70118