That Tired Old Spin

Here's some spin from a campaign email sent out by Senator Karen Carter Peterson, legislative author of the bill that created the BioDistrict:

Forging Ahead for a Healthcare Game-changer in New Orleans


The legislature also resisted changes and roadblocks to the planned University Medical Center in lower Mid-City New Orleans. My priorities continue to be to vastly improve and expand healthcare in New Orleans, not just for the provision of care to our people, but also for the tremendous economic opportunity a medical-research corridor represents to our city.

Resisted roadblocks?  Like what?  Is she referring to HCR-59, which would have provided greater legislative oversight and public accountability in order to avoid a fiscal disaster?  If so, she's mischaracterizing the measure.  I'm not sure why she's so quick to trumpet the fact that she resisted changes to the UMC - changes are certainly needed if the UMC is to avoid becoming a boondoggle.

As with so many politicians in the area, she seems to be stuck blindly on the idea that the UMC must be pushed forward as proposed - that somehow alternative designs or sites nearby would not bring just as many jobs and economic development opportunities to the area.

And as for the "medical-research corridor" - read BioDistrict New Orleans - remember that Senator Karen Carter Peterson did not move to exclude Mid-City from the BioDistrict even after the Mid-City Neighborhood Organization publicly asked to be removed from the boundaries of the "vastly" large 1,500-acre district (and no, to my knowledge, the neighborhood was never asked if it wanted to be in the district at the outset).  She did not take action even though a relevant bill regarding the BioDistrict was moving through the legislature this session.

The City's take on HCR-59

Here's how the Mayor's communications staff characterized the measure to provide greater legislative oversight and a fiscally responsible approach to the UMC project:

"The City and delegation also lobbied successfully against a series of bills and resolutions designed to strip New Orleans of resources and funding. Chief among them were efforts to slow down the $1.2 billion University Medical Center project in Mid City. The delegation fought off House Concurrent Resolution 59 by Rep. Cameron Henry which would have require full legislative approval of the UMC business plan, significantly slowing down the project’s start date."

Again, the rabid attempt to push the project forward at all costs strikes me as irresponsible.

If the city was truly worried about slowing down the project's start date, it would have long ago supported the FHL study's recommendation to build new within the existing Charity shell - a process that would certainly have been a faster way to bring healthcare back online - rather than razing a neighborhood into submission and wading into a legal morass.

AP gets its slant on

Take a look at this AP report on the fate of HCR-59...and note just how slanted the reporter's take was:

Legislative hurdle for new teaching hospital killed


BATON ROUGE — An attempt to add legislative roadblocks to construction of a new public medical center in New Orleans failed to gain passage in the House, killing the proposal for the session.

Why exactly was the measure a "hurdle" - ?  That connotes an impediment.  The reporter could have just as easily chosen to characterize the measure as "Legislative safeguard"...but very clearly chose not to for some reason.

Proceeding into the opening paragraph, the measure's provision requiring full legislative approval is characterized pejoratively as "legislative roadblocks"...when they could just as easily have been called "accountability measures" or "greater fiscal oversight."  Again, the slanted preference of the reporter comes through as clear as day.

While the piece does briefly reference the way in which supporters presented the measure, the damage is already done - readers see the measure as a hostile attempt to kill the UMC hospital because of the improper way the issue is framed with the language employed.

HCR-59 Update

SaveCharityHospital.com looks beyond the measure's defeat in the Louisiana House yesterday.

HCR-59 rescheduled for debate today

The measure continues to get bumped in the Louisiana House of Representatives.  It's now ostensibly up for consideration today.

Please call your state legislators and Speaker Jim Tucker's office to ensure that the concurrent resolution is actually debated and voted on before the session is out.  Tucker's office can be reached at: (504)393-5646 or larep086@legis.state.la.us

Encourage them to support HCR-59 to bring greater legislative oversight to the UMC project.

Support HCR-59 - Sign Here

Change.org|Start an Online Petition »

A way to support greater legislative oversight of the UMC

Sign the petition in support of HCR-59 here.

As I noted earlier, this measure would be a positive step forward.

HCR-59 was scheduled for floor debate today in the Louisiana House of Representatives, but it's not clear from the website that the measure has been acted on at this point.

Contact your LA State Representative Today

Tell your representative to support Representative Henry's HCR-59, which will likely come up on the floor of the Louisiana House tomorrow.

The measure would require greater oversight of the UMC hospital project by requiring full legislative approval before the project could move forward given the ongoing lack of a business plan and the uncertainty over $400 million in financing necessary for completion of the project.

If ever there was a project in need of greater oversight to protect taxpayers from a major boondoggle, this is it.

CityBusiness on HCR-59

Here's the abbreviated version of the AP report from today's committee meeting up in Baton Rouge.

Note how the report labels it a "roadblock" and a "hurdle" rather than a good government measure that keeps the taxpayers of the state from being saddled with a boondoggle.