Claire Dawson
Hurricane Katrina in 2005 caused widespread damage to New Orleans, including to the city's hospitals. One of the most prominent hospitals affected was Memorial Medical Center, which was surrounded by floodwaters, without sanitation, running out of food, and with dangerously high indoor temperatures. Another hospital, Charity Hospital, was also flooded, trapping 360 patients and 1,200 staff members inside. In the aftermath of the hurricane, there were also allegations of euthanasia and second-degree murder of patients at Memorial Medical Center. Charity Hospital never reopened, and a new hospital, University Medical Center New Orleans, was built in its place. The new hospital incorporates resilience strategies to withstand future flooding and has become the flagship building for Tulane's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Hospital | Charity Hospital |
| Location | 1532 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans |
| Year Founded | 1736 |
| Original Name | Hospital of Saint John or L'Hôpital des Pauvres de la Charité (The Charity Hospital for the Poor) |
| Year of Completion of Current Building | 1939 |
| Number of Beds | 2,680 |
| Status | Closed |
| Year of Closure | 2005 |
| Future Plans | To become the flagship building for Tulane's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine |
| Estimated Cost of Future Plans | $600 million |
| Year of Planned Relocation | 2025 |
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What You'll Learn
Charity Hospital will become the heart of Tulane’s Downtown Medical School
Charity Hospital, a former safety-net hospital in New Orleans, has been serving the community for a century. The hospital was shut down in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina flooded its basement, trapping 360 patients and 1,200 staff members inside. In the aftermath of the hurricane, volunteers, contractors, and the military cleaned out the lower floors to make the hospital "medical-ready", but it never reopened.
Tulane University has now announced a new phase in the redevelopment of the former Charity Hospital building, with plans to move into the building in 2025, 20 years after it closed. The project is a part of a $600 million plan and will see Charity Hospital become the heart of Tulane's Downtown Medical School. Old Charity will become the flagship building for Tulane's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, housing biomedical research labs, Tulane's Innovation Institute, and their School of Professional Advancement.
Tulane University is working with developers 1532 Tulane Partners, Inc. and SKK Opportunity Zone Fund I, LLC, to transform Charity into a mixed-use complex with apartments, retail, educational institutions, and other uses. The university will initially occupy nearly 350,000 square feet through a long-term lease, serving as the primary tenant and head of redevelopment for the building. The goal is to place more labs and scientists together in an innovation district downtown, where Tulane discoveries can come to market faster, launch spin-out companies, support community startup talent, and attract outside investment.
The redevelopment of the Charity Hospital building is expected to have a significant impact on the community, with Tulane's investment already sending ripples through the neighbourhood. The project will not only put one of the city's most significant buildings back into use but also spur future development in the downtown area. Special care will be taken to retain Charity's iconic art deco facade, main lobby, second-floor auditorium, and other characteristics while fully renovating the interior.
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The hospital's closure was due to Hurricane Katrina
The Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans was severely affected by Hurricane Katrina, leading to its eventual closure. The hospital was flooded, causing approximately 250 patients to become stranded, 34 of whom died. The flooding knocked out emergency power generators, resulting in a lack of sanitation, food shortages, and extremely high indoor temperatures of up to 110 °F (43 °C).
The hospital was surrounded by floodwaters, and the indoor temperatures rose to dangerous levels. The situation was dire, with staff and patients facing uncertainty and the threat of violence. Some staff members were reduced to incoherence, while others performed heroic deeds. In the aftermath of the hurricane, there were allegations that a doctor and nurses had intentionally administered lethal doses of medication to nine patients, four of whom were on the seventh floor of the hospital. These patients were on ventilators and were severely ill, and the incident sparked a debate about euthanasia and the role of healthcare providers in making life-and-death decisions during disasters.
The Orleans Parish District Attorney, Leon Cannizzaro, testified that "human beings were killed as a result of actions by doctors" at Memorial, but he did not intend to prosecute. The specific circumstances of the deaths were challenging to determine, and the exact roles played by the accused remained unclear. However, the incident highlighted the need for better disaster training and preparedness among healthcare providers.
Charity Hospital, another hospital in New Orleans, was also forced to close due to flooding from Hurricane Katrina. The basement of Charity Hospital was flooded, trapping 360 patients and 1,200 staff members. Despite efforts to clean and restore the hospital, it never reopened in its original location. Instead, Charity Hospital was incorporated into the city's new medical center in the lower Mid-City neighborhood, named the University Medical Center New Orleans, which opened in 2015.
The impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans' healthcare infrastructure led to the development of more resilient and hurricane-proof hospitals. The new VA hospital in New Orleans was designed with an 'upside-down' structure, with critical mechanical and electrical systems located at the top of the building to protect them from floodwaters. This innovative design ensures the hospital can remain operational during floods. The new hospital has a seven-day "defend in place" capability, with enough fuel to operate for a full week without external power. The building is also designed to withstand at least Category 3 hurricane winds.
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The hospital's staff were accused of murder
Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on the city of New Orleans, and the healthcare infrastructure was not spared. Memorial Medical Center, one of the city's largest healthcare facilities, was severely affected. The flooding and power outage resulted in unsanitary conditions, a lack of food, and indoor temperatures reaching up to 110 °F (43 °C). The hospital was surrounded by floodwaters, and staff members were trapped, further degrading the already limited services.
In the chaotic days after the hurricane, four patients at Memorial Medical Center made headlines nearly a year later. On July 18, 2006, Louisiana Attorney General Charles Foti, Jr. announced the arrest of one physician, Dr. Anna Pou, and two nurses, Lori Budo and Cheri Landry, on charges of second-degree murder. They were accused of injecting four patients, aged 61 to 90, with lethal doses of morphine and midazolam, resulting in their deaths. The patients were in a long-term care unit operated by LifeCare Hospitals, which rented the space on the seventh floor of Memorial from its owner, Tenet Healthcare.
The arrests and accusations sparked a furious debate about ethical boundaries in patient care during a crisis. Some observers argued that the administration of these drugs was likely an attempt to calm seriously ill patients and reduce their pain and anxiety. Others believed that the drugs were intentionally given in overdose amounts, defending the acts as euthanasia to prevent unnecessary suffering for patients with no realistic chance of survival. Bryant King, an internist at Memorial, stated that he believed "the discussion of euthanasia was more than talk" and that he left the hospital when he suspected a doctor was about to kill patients.
The investigation into the patient deaths at Memorial Medical Center was challenging due to the difficulty in acquiring medical records and determining the causes of death in bodies that had deteriorated in the extreme heat. Orleans Parish Coroner Frank Minyard consulted a expert who advised that the medical cause of death in all cases should remain undetermined. Despite the initial arrests and controversy, a grand jury in Orleans Parish refused to indict Dr. Pou and the nurses on any counts, and the charges were eventually expunged. The State of Louisiana even paid Dr. Pou's legal fees, and Attorney General Buddy Caldwell, Foti's successor, acknowledged that the prosecution should never have been brought forward.
While the legal proceedings concluded without indictments, the incident highlighted the need for improved disaster training and preparedness in healthcare providers. The question of whether Memorial's staff members were adequately prepared to make life-and-death decisions during a crisis remained a key consideration. The Memorial Medical Center case underscored the importance of developing resilient healthcare infrastructure and ensuring that first responders are equipped with the necessary skills to deliver competent care during disasters.
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The building is over 280 years old
Charity Hospital in New Orleans is over 280 years old. The hospital was founded on May 10, 1736, by a grant from Jean Louis, a French sailor and shipbuilder, who died in New Orleans the year before. His last will and testament were to finance a hospital for the indigent in the colony of New Orleans from his estate. The first Charity Hospital was located on the intersection of Chartres Street and Bienville Street in what is now the French Quarter. The hospital was founded 18 years after the city was founded by France in 1718.
Charity Hospital quickly outgrew its original facility, and a second hospital was built at the edge of the colony on Basin Street in 1743. A third hospital was built nearby in 1785. It was renamed the San Carlos Hospital in honour of King Charles III, King of Spain, after New Orleans was ceded to Spain in 1763. A fire destroyed this hospital in 1809. Without a building, a temporary hospital was established at the Cabildo for a month, then at the Jourdan residence in the Faubourg Marigny for six months, and then the dilapidated De La Vergne plantation for five years while a fourth hospital was built.
This fourth hospital was built at the edge of the city on Canal Street where The Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel is currently located. The hospital was completed in 1815 but was widely criticised as inadequate and underfunded. In 1832, a fifth hospital was built on Common Street (modern Tulane Avenue). By the 20th century, the city of New Orleans was rapidly expanding, and the demand for indigent medical services again exceeded Charity Hospital's capacity. A sixth hospital was built on Tulane Avenue in 1939. At the time, it was the second-largest hospital in the United States, with 2,680 beds.
Charity Hospital served the community for a century as the City's safety-net hospital, saving hundreds of thousands of lives and training thousands of doctors and nurses. However, Hurricane Katrina flooded the hospital's basement, shutting it down and trapping roughly 360 patients and 1,200 staff members inside. Although a team of volunteers, contractors, and the military cleaned out the lower floors to get the hospital "medical-ready", it would never reopen.
Today, Charity Hospital is set to become the flagship building for Tulane's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, as well as housing for biomedical research labs, Tulane's Innovation Institute, and their School of Professional Advancement. The new plan will only take up about one-third of the building, with the sheer size of Charity Hospital being a major challenge in redeveloping the space.
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The new hospital is hurricane-proof
Charity Hospital, a teaching hospital in New Orleans, was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The hospital's basement was flooded, trapping 360 patients and 1,200 staff members inside. Although volunteers, contractors, and the military cleaned out the lower floors, Charity Hospital never reopened.
The new hospital, University Medical Center New Orleans, was completed in August 2015 and is hurricane-proof. The building is designed to be an 'upside-down hospital', with electrical and plumbing systems located at the top of the building. This innovative design ensures that the hospital can remain operational even during a flood. The hospital's energy plant can store 320,000 gallons of fuel, enough to operate for a full week without outside power. The building can also withstand at least Category 3 hurricane winds, and its windows are designed to survive the impact. The center’s designers also took advantage of available natural resources to make the facility more efficient and resilient. For example, the facility can collect and store over a million gallons of rainwater on-site, reducing its use of city water.
The new hospital is part of Tulane's Downtown Medical School and houses the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, biomedical research labs, the Innovation Institute, and the School of Professional Advancement. The hospital is located in the heart of New Orleans' new Bio-Medical District, which has attracted interest and investment from developers.
The new hospital's resilient infrastructure gives it a seven-day "defend in place" capability, ensuring it can remain fully operational during a disaster. The facility also has a 6,000-square-foot on-site warehouse that stores emergency supplies to support 1,000 staff and patients for 5 days. The hospital's designers implemented a comprehensive set of resilience strategies to address the risks facing post-Katrina New Orleans.
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Frequently asked questions
I could not find information on the Memorial Hospital in New Orleans being rebuilt. However, I found information on Charity Hospital in New Orleans, which was flooded during Hurricane Katrina. Charity Hospital was incorporated into the city's new medical centre in the lower Mid-City neighbourhood, named the University Medical Centre New Orleans.
Charity Hospital was flooded during Hurricane Katrina, trapping 360 patients and 1,200 staff members inside. The hospital was shut down, and weeks later, volunteers, contractors, and the military cleaned out the lower floors.
The University Medical Centre New Orleans is the new hospital that Charity Hospital was incorporated into. It was completed in August 2015 and is part of Tulane's Downtown Medical School.
