Louisiana Medical Community

The State of Louisiana adopted a strategic plan, Vision 2020, in 2000. The strategy has three goals, one of which is to build an economy driven by a diverse set of technology industries. The life sciences/biotechnology/biomedical industry is one of the sectors that the state has targeted for investment.

The western area of downtown New Orleans has long been a center of medical service and learning. The confluence of hospitals, medical schools (not only for physicians, but also for nursing and medical technicians) and ancillary facilities goes back almost 100 years. Over that time, the area devoted to medical uses has expanded not only geographically, but also in an economic sense, providing the New Orleans metro area with a medical district that has been very important to the local economy.

However, in the post-Katrina environment, damage to several key components of the district (most notably, the Medical Center of Louisiana in New Orleans, formerly known as Charity Hospital, and the Veterans Administration Hospital) have resulted in unique opportunities for infrastructure reinvestment. Since Hurricane Katrina, postsecondary and higher education facilities have been closed or significantly curtailed. The Medical District's schools and associated research organizations continue to suffer from disinvestment. The hurricane's immediate aftermath displaced a large percentage of Tulane University, Louisiana State University (LSU), Delgado School of Nursing and Xavier University students, staff and academics, including researchers. Local universities, health science centers and clinical facilities suffered significant infrastructure damage and loss of operating revenue which continues to strain their clinical, research and bioscience activities. The loss of research and staff has also significantly deterred the district's ability to capitalize on intellectual property; loss of intellectual capital, and physical damage to the district, has significantly affected the region's competitive advantage.

Regaining a competitive advantage is a must. The health care and biosciences industry have an enormous existing economic impact, and one which could be even greater if we allow it to. Bioscience firms and the cluster of activities and related interests they anchor have become prime targets for state and local economic developers and with good reason. For state and local economic development interests, the biosciences represent an economic triple windfall. It is a rapidly growing and diversifying field; it represents clean industry that everyone can embrace; and it offers high paying jobs. It is also a sector that attracts a very large share of entrepreneurial and venture capital interest and is the source of multiple spin-offs of related enterprises.

This medical community is comprised of Tulane Medical Center, LSU University Hospital (temporary Charity Hospital), and the LSU Medical Center. As New Orleans rebuilds,the medical district plans to add a brand new Veterans Affairs Hospital, a new Charity/LSU Hospital, a New Orleans Bioinnovation Center, and the New Orleans Cancer Center over the next several years.

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