For decades, the citizens of New Orleans and southern Louisiana relied on Charity Hospital in New Orleans. Thousands of physicians have been trained at “Big Charity” and many of them settled in the New Orleans region. They have served as the backbone to our medical community and we counted on the LSU/Charity system to maintain a steady supply of new doctors. Hurricane Katrina not only destroyed the hospital, it also displaced hundreds of our community doctors and severely damaged our ability to train new physicians for the future.\r\n\r\nWithout any doubt, Charity Hospital also developed the best trauma center in the region before the storm. As we are now discovering, the entire community, rich and poor, rested its confidence in the availability of Charity Hospital. Although the administrators, nurses, and physicians have worked heroically, under trying circumstances, to provide emergency services after the storm, there is no substitute for a smoothly functioning trauma system with a permanent Level I trauma center at its core.\r\n\r\nCountless times, people with nowhere else to turn, found a willing medical provider at Charity Hospital; the commitment of Louisiana to help its sick and disabled citizens has always been rock-solid. Providing a new type of medical insurance through a Medicaid waiver is an important improvement in our access to care, but it should not be the sole substitute for a new Charity Hospital. In my opinion, having a flexible insurance system is not nearly as long-lasting as the physical presence of real facilities and medical care being delivered by real professionals. Money and promises are very flexible and can be changed in one legislative session but there is only one thing that a hospital is good for: delivering medical care. No backing out.\r\n\r\nCharity Hospital was also an important economic engine for the city. It employed thousands of well paid technicians, nurses, and doctors who made New Orleans their home. The proposed partnership with the Veterans Administration to rebuild both facilities is an innovative new relationship that will bring hundreds of millions of construction dollars to the area resulting in modern, efficient facilities for the long term. The economic impact will be enormous. \r\n\r\nGovernor Blanco and the Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) appear to be dragging their collective feet by hanging on to $300 million in matching money already set aside for this critical project. Waiting will send a clear signal to the Veterans Administration that Louisiana is a weak partner and that they should go ahead without LSU/Charity. It would be a shame to lose this golden moment to renew the unique historic promise made by Louisiana to care for its citizens while simultaneously cementing a major new federal facility in New Orleans. Long before Hurricane Katrina, LSU completed plans to rebuild Charity and University hospitals and we should not squander this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do so.\r\n