Save New Orleans’ Charity Hospital
By
NEW ORLEANS--Over 1,000 New Orleanians gathered to march on August 29, marking the fourth anniversary since Hurricane Katrina ravaged the city.
The second line march--a traditional New Orleans brass band parade--began under the levee breach in the Lower Ninth Ward and proceeded to the Seventh Ward, covering the most severely damaged area of the city. The march came to a close at Hunter's Field, a traditional spot for community gatherings, where marchers enjoyed several local musicians and activists who called for the rebuilding of New Orleans.
Two days later, another second line drew over 1,200 people to demand the re-opening of Charity Hospital--the city's only public hospital. Charity has been out of commission for four years, ever since it flooded during both Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Even today, those seeking adequate health care treatment are forced to travel to Baton Rouge. Not only is this journey an hour away, but there's no longer any available public transportation to get there, after Gov. Bobby Jindal cut funding for the Louisiana Swift shuttle system between the two cities.
Prior to its closing, Charity Hospital was a renowned medical institution. It was the first HIV clinic in the South and provided decent, affordable health care to workers throughout the New Orleans area. A number of march attendees had been born in Charity Hospital.
After the march, a former Charity hospital doctor called for the hospital's re-opening. Following the doctor's speech, an older resident explained that his home is one of the many to be demolished in the extra 70 acres that are allotted to the new proposed hospital. "I don't want to be kicked out of my own home for my 80th birthday!" he exclaimed with passion to the cheering crowd.
Rebuilding Charity would create hundreds of jobs at a time when they're needed most. Its undertaking would call for workers, from construction crews to medical staff. The rally organizers appealed to city and state politicians to re-open the hospital, promising the continuation of rallies and demonstrations for the rightful restoration of one of New Orleans' landmarks.
