Dear Tulane Alumni,
I am writing today with a call to action as the Louisiana Legislature prepares to decide the fate of the new proposed public hospital for New Orleans, known as the Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans, or MCLNO.
This new academic medical center, which will be built and operated with public funds, serves the needs of multiple community constituencies:
1. patients, especially the under or uninsured;
2. the academic institutions which rely on the new hospital to meet their clinical care, research and education missions, including Xavier, Dillard, LSU and Tulane;
3. the greater community of New Orleans.
The new public hospital must be governed by a Board of Trustees comprised of independent trustees who represent the various constituencies. No one group or constituency should, directly or indirectly, control the board seats.
The city’s academic institutions that are critical to the staffing of the new hospital — Tulane, LSU, Xavier and Dillard — have been successful partners in providing healthcare to under– or uninsured patients for centuries. It is a partnership that is equitable, effective and historic. It should not be changed.
Let your voice be heard, and help to preserve the legacy and ensure fair governance of the public hospital in New Orleans.
Sincerely,
Scott S. Cowen
President