Save Charity Hospital

State awarded $475 million, yet still cannot proceed with new hospital

The federal arbitration process to determine how much FEMA will reimburse the state of Louisiana for the replacement of Charity Hospital has come back with a decision. The state will receive $475 million -- great news for the city -- and removes one of the roadblocks for returning healthcare services to New Orleans.

This money should be used to rebuild, not to destroy. It should be spent now. LSU proposes to sit on this money for years as they try to find some way to finance their costly and destructive Lower Mid-City proposal.

We now have enough funding to gut and rebuild Charity Hospital.

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Editorial boards take notice: Charity a State issue with National consequences

Well isn't this interesting...

As we enter a week of closed-door hearings that will decide how much money the State will receive from FEMA for hurricane-related damage done to Charity Hospital, two surprising editorials are condemning the lack of transparency and highlighting the far-reaching consequences of this flawed process.

A Times-Picayune editorial, entitled "Pull the curtain on Charity Hospital hearings" decries the lack of transparency in the binding arbitration process, stating "New Orleanians and taxpayers across the nation are being kept out " of the decision-making process.

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Charity Hearing Behind Closed Doors

In a process that continues to be marked by its lack of transparency and public participation, the dispute over how much FEMA owes Louisiana for damage done to Charity Hospital during Hurricane Katrina will go to binding arbitration on Monday, before a completely secret closed-door panel.

A front-page Times-Picayune story reports that the three-judge arbitration panel will have a week-long hearing and then have 60 days or more to make their binding decision.

In a dispute that has yet to see a public hearing of any kind, it is outrageous that this hearing be conducted in secret.

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