University Medical Center New Orleans flood-damaged Charity Hospital finally opened nearly 10 years after Katrina, according to an article on the The New York Times website.
The Charity Hospital staff had been working out of tents, an abandoned Lord & Taylor department store and eventually a cramped interim hospital
The $1.1 billion replacement hospital was built largely with federal disaster funds, and run by a private operator under contract with the state.
With 446 beds that are mostly in private rooms, 19 state-of-the-art operating rooms, waiting rooms that resemble boutique hotel lounges and 4,300 pieces of art, including a Dale Chihuly sculpture and a video installation of a blooming magnolia, it is a far cry from the open wards, leaky ceilings and dated equipment at Charity, the article said.