Charity Hospital
Encyclopedia
29.955383°N 90.077957°W
Charity Hospital was one of two teaching hospital
s which were part of the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans (MCLNO)
. Three weeks after the events of Hurricane Katrina
, then Governor Kathleen Blanco
said that Charity Hospital would not reopen, even though the military had scrubbed the building to medical-ready standards. The Louisiana State University System
, which owns the building, has stated that it has no plans for reconstruction.
administered by the Louisiana State University System at the time of Hurricane Katrina. Charity Hospital and the nearby University Hospital
were both teaching hospitals affiliated with the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO). University Hospital and the adjacent Tulane Medical Center
remain open.
The Charity Hospital building is located in the New Orleans Hospital District
. It is on the opposite side of I-10
from the LSU Health Sciences Center. The address is 1532 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana
70112-1352.
was to finance a hospital for the indigent in the colony of New Orleans
from his estate. His hospital has served the poor in New Orleans
for over 250 years. Charity Hospital was originally named the Hospital of Saint John or L’Hôpital des Pauvres de la Charité (Hospital for the Poor). 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. It was the second oldest continually operated public hospital in the United States at the time of its demise. Only Bellevue Hospital
in New York City
is older, having been founded a month earlier, on March 31, 1736.
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 honor 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 6 months, then the dilapidated De La Vergne plantation for 5 years while a fourth hospital was built. This new hospital was built at the edge of the city on Canal Street
where the Fairmont Hotel
is currently located. The hospital was completed in 1815, but this hospital was widely criticized as inadequate and underfunded.
A fifth hospital was built within Girod, Gravier, St. Mary, and Common Streets in the Faubourg St. Marie in 1832. This hospital came under the administration of the Sisters of Charity
, who would run the hospital for the next century. Under their care, Charity Hospital, partnered with the Medical College of the University of Louisiana would become a celebrated institution of healing in the city.
By the 20th century, the city of New Orleans was rapidly expanding, and the demand for indigent medical services again exceeded the capacity of the existing Charity Hospital. 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.
The building's cornerstone lists the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (later called the Public Works Administration
) as the building authority. The architects were Weiss, Dreyfous & Seiferth
, who were also responsible for the Louisiana State Capitol
in Baton Rouge. The hospital features two stone bas-reliefs and a cast aluminum screen called Louisiana at Work and Play, all by artist Enrique Alferez
.
The new LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO) was built adjacent to Charity Hospital in 1931 under the aegis of Louisiana Governor Huey Pierce Long. Serving one of the largest populations of uninsured citizens, Charity Hospital also boasted the #2 Level I Trauma Center in the nation, with the #1 rank belonging to Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.
The Louisiana Department of Health and Human Resources (DHH) took control of Charity Hospital in 1970. The hospital was transferred to the Louisiana Health Care Authority (LHCA) in 1991 and to the LSU System in 1997.
, Charity Hospital sustained severe flood damage during Hurricane Katrina. The evacuation of patients from the flooded hospital made national headlines. After the storm, a temporary clinic named the Spirit of Charity was established at the Convention Center
. The temporary Spirit of Charity Clinic was later relocated to the New Orleans Centre building adjacent to the Superdome
, but by February 2007, a renovated University Hospital had taken over the responsibilities of emergency care
to the city which Charity originally provided.
The future of Charity Hospital itself remains in question. LSUHSC has announced that it is planning to build a new modern facility nearby named the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans (MCLNO). If funding for such a hospital is approved by the Louisiana State Legislature
, the new hospital would consolidate the functions of both Charity Hospital and University Hospital. There is speculation that the hospital will become a historical site.
In May, 2008 The National Trust for Historic Preservation listed both the hospital and the surrounding neighborhood on its list of America's Most Endangered Places
.
documentary series, Code Blue.
The series documented the lives of the hospital physicians and their patients. The episodes often illustrated the rate of violence in New Orleans by chronicling the high volume of patients who were treated in the emergency department with gunshot or stab wounds.
Charity Hospital was also featured in two episodes of TLC's Trauma: Life in the ER, which focused on Charity's emergency room, the busiest emergency room in the United States at the time.
Charity Hospital was one of two teaching hospital
Teaching hospital
A teaching hospital is a hospital that provides clinical education and training to future and current doctors, nurses, and other health professionals, in addition to delivering medical care to patients...
s which were part of the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans (MCLNO)
Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans
The Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans is the official name of two teaching hospitals in New Orleans, Louisiana. Both hospitals are part of the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, commonly referred to as the LSU Medical School in New Orleans.The two hospitals...
. Three weeks after the events of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, then Governor Kathleen Blanco
Kathleen Blanco
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco was the 54th Governor of Louisiana, having served from January 2004 until January 2008. She was the first woman to be elected to the office of governor of Louisiana....
said that Charity Hospital would not reopen, even though the military had scrubbed the building to medical-ready standards. The Louisiana State University System
Louisiana State University System
The Louisiana State University System is budgetarily the largest public university system in Louisiana. John V. Lombardi is the system's president...
, which owns the building, has stated that it has no plans for reconstruction.
Organization
Charity Hospital was one of several public hospitals around the state of LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
administered by the Louisiana State University System at the time of Hurricane Katrina. Charity Hospital and the nearby University Hospital
University Hospital, New Orleans
University Hospital is one of two teaching hospitals which are part of the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans .- Organization. :...
were both teaching hospitals affiliated with the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO). University Hospital and the adjacent Tulane Medical Center
Tulane Medical Center
The Tulane Medical Center is a hospital located in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Tulane Medical Center has centers covering nearly all major specialties of medicine, and is the primary teaching hospital for the Tulane University School of Medicine...
remain open.
The Charity Hospital building is located in the New Orleans Hospital District
New Orleans Central Business District
The Central Business District is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the French Quarter/CBD Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: Iberville, Decatur and Canal Streets to the north, the Mississippi River to the east, the New Orleans Morial...
. It is on the opposite side of I-10
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
from the LSU Health Sciences Center. The address is 1532 Tulane Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
70112-1352.
History
Charity Hospital was founded on May 10, 1736, by a grant from the French sailor and shipbuilder Jean Louis, who died in New Orleans the year before. His last will and testamentWill (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
was to finance a hospital for the indigent in the colony of New Orleans
History of New Orleans
The history of New Orleans, Louisiana traces the city's development from its founding by the French, through its period under Spanish control, then back to French rule before being sold to the United States in the Louisiana Purchase...
from his estate. His hospital has served the poor in New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
for over 250 years. Charity Hospital was originally named the Hospital of Saint John or L’Hôpital des Pauvres de la Charité (Hospital for the Poor). The first Charity Hospital was located on the intersection of Chartres Street and Bienville Street in what is now the French Quarter
French Quarter
The French Quarter, also known as Vieux Carré, is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. When New Orleans was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city was originally centered on the French Quarter, or the Vieux Carré as it was known then...
. The hospital was founded 18 years after the city was founded by France
Louisiana (New France)
Louisiana or French Louisiana was an administrative district of New France. Under French control from 1682–1763 and 1800–03, the area was named in honor of Louis XIV, by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle...
in 1718. It was the second oldest continually operated public hospital in the United States at the time of its demise. Only Bellevue Hospital
Bellevue Hospital Center
Bellevue Hospital Center, most often referred to as "Bellevue", was founded on March 31, 1736 and is the oldest public hospital in the United States. Located on First Avenue in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, Bellevue is famous from many literary, film and television...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
is older, having been founded a month earlier, on March 31, 1736.
Charity Hospital quickly outgrew its original facility, and a second hospital was built at the edge of the colony on Basin Street
Basin Street
Basin Street or Rue Basin in French, is a street in New Orleans, Louisiana. It parallels Rampart Street one block lakeside, or inland, from the boundary of the French Quarter, running from Canal Street down 5 blocks past Saint Louis Cemetery...
in 1743. A third hospital was built nearby in 1785. It was renamed the San Carlos Hospital in honor of King Charles III, King of Spain, after New Orleans was ceded to Spain
Spanish colonization of the Americas
Colonial expansion under the Spanish Empire was initiated by the Spanish conquistadores and developed by the Monarchy of Spain through its administrators and missionaries. The motivations for colonial expansion were trade and the spread of the Christian faith through indigenous conversions...
in 1763.
The Cabildo
The Cabildo was the seat of colonial government in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is now a museum. The Cabildo is located along Jackson Square, adjacent to St. Louis Cathedral.- History :The original Cabildo was destroyed in the Great New Orleans Fire...
for a month, then at the Jourdan residence in the Faubourg Marigny
Faubourg Marigny
The Marigny is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Bywater District Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: North Rampart Street and St...
for 6 months, then the dilapidated De La Vergne plantation for 5 years while a fourth hospital was built. This new hospital was built at the edge of the city on Canal Street
Canal Street, New Orleans
Canal Street is a major thoroughfare in the city of New Orleans. Forming the upriver boundary of the city's oldest neighborhood, the French Quarter , it acted as the dividing line between the older French/Spanish Colonial-era city and the newer American Sector, today's Central Business District.The...
where the Fairmont Hotel
Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is a Canadian-based operator of luxury hotels and resorts. Currently, Fairmont operates properties in 18 countries including Canada, the United States, Mexico, Bermuda, Barbados, United Kingdom, Monaco, Germany, Switzerland, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, the...
is currently located. The hospital was completed in 1815, but this hospital was widely criticized as inadequate and underfunded.
A fifth hospital was built within Girod, Gravier, St. Mary, and Common Streets in the Faubourg St. Marie in 1832. This hospital came under the administration of the Sisters of Charity
Sisters of Charity
Many religious communities have the term Sisters of Charity as part of their name. The rule of Saint Vincent for the Daughters of Charity has been adopted and adapted by at least sixty founders of religious orders around the world in the subsequent centuries....
, who would run the hospital for the next century. Under their care, Charity Hospital, partnered with the Medical College of the University of Louisiana would become a celebrated institution of healing in the city.
By the 20th century, the city of New Orleans was rapidly expanding, and the demand for indigent medical services again exceeded the capacity of the existing Charity Hospital. 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.
Public Works Administration
The Public Works Administration , part of the New Deal of 1933, was a large-scale public works construction agency in the United States headed by Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. It was created by the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933 in response to the Great Depression...
) as the building authority. The architects were Weiss, Dreyfous & Seiferth
Leon C. Weiss
Leon Charles Weiss was the politically-connected architect who designed most major monuments of the Huey Pierce Long, Jr., gubernatorial administration in Louisiana, including the skyscraper-shaped capitol, the governor's mansion, and Louisiana State University buildings, all in Baton Rouge, and...
, who were also responsible for the Louisiana State Capitol
Louisiana State Capitol
The Louisiana State Capitol building is the capitol building of the state of Louisiana, located in Baton Rouge. The capitol houses the Louisiana State Legislature, the governor's office, and parts of the executive branch...
in Baton Rouge. The hospital features two stone bas-reliefs and a cast aluminum screen called Louisiana at Work and Play, all by artist Enrique Alferez
Enrique Alférez
Enrique Alferez was Mexican-born Louisiana artist, best known as a sculptor in the art deco style.The son of a sculptor, young Enrique spent some time in the army of Pancho Villa in the Mexican Revolution before coming to the United States. He studied with Lorado Taft in Chicago, Illinois in the...
.
The new LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans (LSUHSC-NO) was built adjacent to Charity Hospital in 1931 under the aegis of Louisiana Governor Huey Pierce Long. Serving one of the largest populations of uninsured citizens, Charity Hospital also boasted the #2 Level I Trauma Center in the nation, with the #1 rank belonging to Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois.
The Louisiana Department of Health and Human Resources (DHH) took control of Charity Hospital in 1970. The hospital was transferred to the Louisiana Health Care Authority (LHCA) in 1991 and to the LSU System in 1997.
Hurricane Katrina
Like its sister hospital, University HospitalUniversity Hospital, New Orleans
University Hospital is one of two teaching hospitals which are part of the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans .- Organization. :...
, Charity Hospital sustained severe flood damage during Hurricane Katrina. The evacuation of patients from the flooded hospital made national headlines. After the storm, a temporary clinic named the Spirit of Charity was established at the Convention Center
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center is in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. The lower end of building one is located upriver from Canal Street on the banks of the Mississippi River. It is named after former Mayor of New Orleans Ernest N. Morial...
. The temporary Spirit of Charity Clinic was later relocated to the New Orleans Centre building adjacent to the Superdome
Louisiana Superdome
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...
, but by February 2007, a renovated University Hospital had taken over the responsibilities of emergency care
Emergency department
An emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
to the city which Charity originally provided.
The future of Charity Hospital itself remains in question. LSUHSC has announced that it is planning to build a new modern facility nearby named the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans (MCLNO). If funding for such a hospital is approved by the Louisiana State Legislature
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
, the new hospital would consolidate the functions of both Charity Hospital and University Hospital. There is speculation that the hospital will become a historical site.
Campaign to Rebuild Charity Hospital
The Foundation for Historical Louisiana, as charged in HCR 89 of the 2006 Louisiana Legislature, hired the internationally renowned architectural firm, RMJM Hillier, to “…examine and evaluate the entire Big Charity structure to determine the advisability of repairing or restructuring the entire facility.” RMJM Hillier determined the building to be structurally sound—with its original design being architecturally exceptional and “ahead of its time.” Rehabilitation into a 21st century, state-of-the-art facility would be the fastest, most cost effective way to return quality healthcare and a teaching hospital to N.O.In May, 2008 The National Trust for Historic Preservation listed both the hospital and the surrounding neighborhood on its list of America's Most Endangered Places
America's Most Endangered Places
Each year since 1987, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has released a list of places they consider the most endangered in America. The number of sites included on the list has varied, with the most recent lists settling on 11...
.
Television
Charity Hospital was featured in the TLCTLC (TV channel)
TLC is an American cable TV specialty channel which initially focused on educational content. Since 1991 TLC has been owned by Discovery Communications, the same company that operates the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and The Science Channel, as well as other learning-themed networks...
documentary series, Code Blue.
The series documented the lives of the hospital physicians and their patients. The episodes often illustrated the rate of violence in New Orleans by chronicling the high volume of patients who were treated in the emergency department with gunshot or stab wounds.
Charity Hospital was also featured in two episodes of TLC's Trauma: Life in the ER, which focused on Charity's emergency room, the busiest emergency room in the United States at the time.
See also
- Common Ground Health ClinicCommon Ground Health ClinicThe Common Ground Health Clinic is a non-profit organization that provides free quality health care for the greater New Orleans community, and develops and provides programs to address community health care needs through collaborative partnerships...
- List of tallest buildings in New Orleans
- LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans
- University HospitalUniversity Hospital, New OrleansUniversity Hospital is one of two teaching hospitals which are part of the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans .- Organization. :...
- Louisiana State University SystemLouisiana State University SystemThe Louisiana State University System is budgetarily the largest public university system in Louisiana. John V. Lombardi is the system's president...
- Scott CowenScott CowenScott S. Cowen is 14th president of Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he is also Seymour S. Goodman Memorial Professor in the A.B. Freeman School of Business and professor of economics in Tulane's School of Liberal Arts. He has written more than a hundred peer-reviewed journal...
- Tulane University School of MedicineTulane University School of MedicineThe Tulane University School of Medicine is located in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA and is a part of Tulane University. The school is located in the Medical District of the New Orleans Central Business District.-History:...
- Salvaggio, John E. New Orleans' Charity Hospital.Louisiana State University PressLouisiana State University PressThe Louisiana State University Press is a nonprofit book publisher and an academic unit of Louisiana State University. Founded in 1935, the press publishes scholarly, general interest, and regional books as part of the university’s mission to disseminate knowledge and culture...
,1992 ISBN 978-0-8071-1613-5