Thursday, July 7, 2011

Fundamental Questions about the UMC

These are such simple questions, that they've been somewhat overlooked by far too many in the ongoing fight over the UMC hospital:

Is the UMC (University Medical Center Management Corporation Board) - created by the State of Louisiana to secure funding for and operate the proposed University Medical Center (and formerly the EARL K. LONG MEDICAL FOUNDATION, INC.) - a public or private entity for purposes of determining whether a government taking involves a legitimate "public purpose"?


Upon legal challenge, would expropriation of various private properties in the LSU Footprint by the LSU Board of Supervisors be found valid under the Louisiana State Constitution?

I don't know that these questions have truly been answered.  With dozens of UMC property-related lawsuits underway, perhaps we'll slowly see answers emerge.  Or perhaps we'll learn sooner.  Feel free to opine in the comments.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Earl K. Long Medical Foundation was/is a tax-exempt non-profit that was incorporated in October 2005, immediately after Katrina. It does not appear to have filed Form 990 tax returns.

Anonymous said...

Why, instead of creating an entirely new foundation to handle financing of the proposed UMC in the New Orleans, did the State elect to re-name and repurpose an existing fundraising non-profit for a Baton Rouge hospital known to be destined for closure in 2013?