CityBusiness Staff Report
New Orleans CityBusiness (New Orleans, LA)
The LSU Health Care Services Division — Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans announced today the reopening of its Trauma Care Center at Ochsner’s Elmwood Hospital, a 71-bed private, not-for-profit facility in Jefferson Parish. The trauma center will provide specialty services under national standards for such a facility. Specialized physicians and nurses will be available around the clock to treat life-threatening injuries.
“Our staff stands ready to save the lives of people injured by trauma”, said LSU HCSD CEO Donald R. Smithburg. “Residents of the Crescent City can expect the same level of trauma service at this temporary location as they received at Charity Hospital.”
The Trauma Center at 1221 S. Clearview Parkway temporarily replaces Charity Hospital, which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Louisiana State University and Tulane University physicians will staff the trauma center and its 40 critical care beds.
Dr. Cathi Fontenot, medical director of the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans, says the unit will be referred to as “the LSU — Medical Center of Louisiana New Orleans Trauma Center.” She said the facility will be used primarily for trauma cases and not routine emergency room or clinical services. The only other Level One trauma center in Louisiana is also operated by LSU 282 miles away in Shreveport.
The LSU — Medical Center of Louisiana now offers emergency medical services in the New Orleans Center at 1450 Poydras St., and an adult primary care clinic in the Delgado Building at 1545 Tulane Ave. MCLNO doctors and nurses are treating 300 patients a day, about half the visits Charity saw before the storm.The LSU Health Care Services Division hospital and clinic system is the largest provider of health care in Louisiana with more than 1.2 million patient visits annually at 350 outpatient clinics and 46,000 admissions to nine hospitals.