New Orleans is one of the glitzy consolidated city-parish in the US. It is known as the most populated city in the state of Louisiana. It served as a key port and commercial hub in the American Gulf Coast region. Since approximately 390,144 people live in the city, it requires a solid healthcare system to take care of its people. Fortunately, there are plenty of hospitals in New Orleans that can accommodate its people.
Like other popular cities, some of the biggest medical institutions in New Orleans faced reconstruction and refurbishing. Others ended up in total closure.
Here are several popular New Orleans hospitals that are no longer in existence.
#1: Charity Hospital
The Charity Hospital was one of the few public hospitals run by the state. It was founded in May 1736 using the money donated by the late French shipbuilder and sailor Jean Louis one year after his death. In his last will and testament, he mentioned that he wanted to fund a hospital that will serve the city’s impoverished residents.
Originally called L’Hôpital des Pauvres de la Charité (The Charity Hospital for the Poor) or the Hospital of Saint John, it was located in the intersection of the streets now known as the French Quarter. It used to be the second oldest hospital in the US.
After surviving a massive fire in 1809, the building continued to expand to accommodate more patients. But the hospital endured major flooding due to the destructive Hurricane Katrina in 2005. While the art deco building managed to survive the floods, the hospital had to close permanently in favor of establishing the University Medical Center New Orleans.
#2: Flint-Goodridge Hospital
Flint-Goodridge Hospital is known as one of the biggest and oldest businesses owned by Black Americans in Louisiana. For almost a hundred years, the hospital served African-American patients. Early records showed that it was linked to the Phyllis Wheatley Sanitarium and Training School for Negro Nurses managed by the Phyllis Wheatley Club.
The hospital became very instrumental in training Black physicians in the city. While the hospital managed to serve plenty of residents in the city, the desegregation policies in the 1960s caused a significant decline in the number of patients seeking treatment. Despite the efforts to revive the hospital, it finally shut its doors in 1983. The building is now converted into an apartment complex.
#3: French Hospital
The French Hospital is known as the New Orleans brand of La Société Française de Bienfaisance Mutuelle in San Francisco. It was established in 1861 to take care of the charitable French residents and the public until it shut down in 1949. The organization called Knights of Peter Claver purchased the building in 1951. They took down the property and built a new one to serve as their national headquarters.
These are some of the most historic hospitals that no longer operate in New Orleans. However, the city still has several dozens of public and private hospitals that can provide medical treatments any time.
This is the building where New Orlean’s Charity Hospital previously operated before Hurricane Katrina.
