Academics flourishing in New Orleans post-Katrina and Rita: Perspective from Ochsner clinic foundation

Abstract

The Ochsner Health System is an integrated, independent academic health system consisting of 7 hospitals, 31 clinics, 700 employed physicians, a home health service, and the state’s largest fitness company. We are an independent academic medical center with no single university affiliation. Our educational programs include undergraduate, graduate, and continuing medical education, in addition to allied health and nursing education. As previously detailed in this journal,1 the university academic health system in the New Orleans region suffered near cataclysmic damage from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. It is on the long road back to recovery. The purpose of this discussion is to describe Ochsner’s current academic status, demonstrating that we have continued to grow and thrive since the hurricanes.