"You'd have to figure the complex was certain to be built if work had begun to turn a vast tract at the heart of New Orleans into a wasteland. It wouldn't make much sense to acquire property and commence demolition before the money had been lined up to fill the void left by the closure of Charity Hospital."

And yet that's precisely what has happened.  Demolition and property acquisition proceeded despite a lack of funding.  You're well aware of that if you're a regular reader of this blog.

James Gill at the Times-Picayune points out just how foolhardy the backers of the proposed UMC hospital have been - and notes that signficant hurdles and uncertainties remain.

After mentioning that the proposed hospital would need an unsustainable $70 million annual subsidy, he also does something that I'm sure will raise the ire of folks at LSU and the state - he re-floats the idea of going back into Charity Hospital.