CAMPBELL PLEDGES TO MAKE LSU HOSPITAL IN NEW ORLEANS A REALITY
- August 31, 2007

         NEW ORLEANS - Democratic gubernatorial candidate Foster Campbell said Tuesday that he will push to make the planned LSU Academic Medical Center a reality when he is elected Governor.

         "I'm here to tell you that there’s hope for recovery of the healthcare system in New Orleans," said Campbell, standing in front of the old Charity Hospital. "When I’m Governor I’ll do everything in my power to make sure the new LSU health center and teaching hospital becomes a reality."

         Campbell, a member of the Public Service Commission and former state senator, said a high-quality public hospital and medical school are essential to rebuilding New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana after the damage from Hurricane Katrina two years ago.

         He said the LSU teaching hospital, built in conjunction with a new Veterans Administration hospital, offers the best, most cost-efficient way to make certain residents have access to care and to train the doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals needed throughout Louisiana.

         "This hospital will provide 20,000 jobs for our people and will become an anchor of the new economy in New Orleans in the years ahead," Campbell said.

         He said residents will not return to New Orleans and businesses will not stay or relocate there if access to quality healthcare is not assured.

         After Katrina, the New Orleans area lost about half its medical professionals, and the number of residents trained by LSU dropped from 627 to 475 currently.

         "Without this new hospital, all of Louisiana will suffer in the years ahead from shortages of doctors, nurse, and allied health professions," Campbell said. "Louisiana’s doctors are educated and trained here, and nurses need this hospital to do their clinical work."