Healthcare in New Orleans Healthcare in New Orleans Healthcare in New Orleans includes a combination of hospitals, clinics, and other organization for the residents of New Orleans, Louisiana. L’Hospital des Pauvres de la Charite was opened in 1736 as a charitable institution and was a modest operation then located on the corner of Chartres and Bienville streets. This institution later evolved into Charity Hospital, located on Tulane Avenue, which was constructed in 1939; at the time, it was the second largest hospital in the United States. Charity Hospital was closed in 2005 after significant damage was caused by Hurricane Katrina. University Medical Center New
Effects of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans area hospitals that were flooded or damaged. Reports from the Methodist Hospital indicated that people were dying of dehydration and exhaustion while the staff worked unendingly in horrendous conditions. The first floor of the hospital flooded and the dead were stacked in a second floor operating room. Patients requiring ventilators were kept alive with hand-powered resuscitation bags. Among the many hospitals shut down by damage related to the hurricane was the public hospital serving New Orleans, Charity Hospital, which was also the only trauma center serving that region. The destruction of the hospital's structure has forced the continued closure as