Louisiana's hospital board will ask for federal funds to help build a $4,328,620 general hospital for the Ochsner Foundation and a $739,000 crippled children's hospital, both in New Orleans.
There are no state appropriations for either of the buildings, but board members meeting in Baton Rouge Thursday said the crippled children's hospital might receive $428,000 in federal aid.
How much will be requested for the two hospitals, however, is not definite and will be determined at another meeting of the board, tentatively set for September.
The board members—following hearings in Baton Rouge-—voted unanimously to recommend that federal funds under the national hospital construction law be made available for both projects.
A spokesman for the crippled children's hospital said a measure to distribute funds for such construction has been approved by the United States House of Representatives and is before the Senate.
Dr. Guy Caldwell, representing the Ochsner Foundation, told board members that $2,748,000 in federal funds would be needed for a 250-bed hospital. He said the remainder of the $4,328,620 would come from private contributions. Non-Prof it Institution
Dr. Swepson F. Fraser, Many, a member of the state board, said the Ochsner Foundation has "a wonderful training program" but •'needs more facilities." He said he doubted the projected hospital would compete with other existing institutions because it would deal with "highly specialized medicine and surgery."
Dr. Caldwell said the proposed hospital would replace the foundation's present hospital near the Mississippi river bridge. He said it would specialize in medicine and surgery "for the Gulf South," as a private non-profit institution.
Dr.. J. D. Rives, professor of surgery at Louisiana State University's medical school, went to ? Baton Rouge to testify for the ; crippled children's hospital. And he spoke up for both proposed hospitals. He said present post-graduate facilities are good but inadequate, and that "for every man we take(to serve as a resident) we turn down five." Dr. Rives, in supporting the application of the Ochsner Foundation of which he is not a staff member, said that it is a "worthy enterprise and should be supported. "He said it is simply replacing inadequate facilities with modern. Blanc Monroe told the board the proposed Ochsner hospital would provide advanced training for doctors desiring to specialize.
