The following letter was sent in response to a May 14th article published in The Economist, “New Orleans City of Sickness.”

May 21, 2009

Dear Editor,

We take issue with the characterization of the state of New Orleans in your May 14th article. As citizens, we are proud of the progress our city has made since August 29, 2005, when the largest manmade disaster in history caused the flooding of eighty percent of Orleans Parish and the displacement of more than 1.1 million residents from the region.   We are in the process of rethinking and rebuilding the city’s health care system into one that will be a model of reform, quality and cost effectiveness.  Even now, our population is receiving quality health care by dedicated medical professionals at eleven hospitals plus two highly respected medical schools at Tulane and Louisiana State Universities. The health care delivery system is changing and we believe for the better. One improvement has been the establishment of community-based medical clinics.  More than three dozen community health clinics in greater New Orleans have been certified by the National Committee for Quality Assurance and are providing care to low-income patients.  It is a model system that is sure to be emulated in other communities. In addition, final plans are being made for new VA and public hospitals, respectively.

There exists no comparable yardstick to measure the recovery from devastation the magnitude of which New Orleans faced.  We sincerely believe that our city has turned the corner.  Fortunately for New Orleans, our economy has been insulated from the economic downturn  and our recovery continues.  The number of abandoned homes in New Orleans dropped 3 percent in the last year despite an increase in blight in the rest of the United States.  Our tourism and film industries are booming. 

To read more about our progress, please visit www.fleurdelis.tulane.edu ,  the website for the New Orleans Fleur de Lis Ambassadors, a group of local citizens committed to accurately communicating about our city’s recovery.

We are not alone in our  positive assessment of the city. Others are flocking to New Orleans, which recently hosted one of the most successful New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festivals ever, was recently awarded the 2012 NCAA Final Four Men’s Basketball Tournament and the highly coveted NFL  Superbowl in 2013.

Scott S. Cowen
President, Tulane University

Arnie Fielkow
Vice-President, New Orleans City Council