Pulitzer prize winner, Ted Jackson, Times Picayune/NOLA.com, did an outstanding job of capturing a tour of the new St. Bernard Parish Hospital in photographs. St. Bernard Chamber leadership received a special sneak preview of the new hospital on July 11, 2012.

The Times Picayune published “St. Bernard hospital gets final touches” by reporter Benjamin Alexander-Bloch on the front page of the Sunday, July 15, 2012, Metro Edition. As we approach the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the article features photos from the recent St. Bernard Chamber tour and details about the hospital’s construction and its importance to community recovery.

The medical complex promises to bring quality healthcare and peace-of-mind back home to St. Bernard Parish residents and businesses. St. Bernard Chamber president, Stephen Reuther, believes that the development of the medical complex is an important step to economic recovery and encouraging people to move back to St. Bernard.

A. Henry Lips, Jr., recently donated this stained glass memorial that now appears in the St. Bernard Parish Hospital chapel. The piece was designed by his grandfather in 1925 as a memorial to his wife and two children, killed in a fire.

A. Henry Lips, Jr., recently donated a memorial stained glass design to St. Bernard Parish Hospital. The artwork was designed by his grandfather in 1925 as a memorial to his wife and two children that were killed in a fire. The St. Bernard Parish Post published an article about the stained glass donation in their July 10th issue. The article was written by Ken Hocke, photography by publisher Kenny Zulli.

Here’s a link to the article:

http://thestbparishpost.com/uploads/ISSUE_28_FINAL.pdf

The Louisiana community recovery missions of the Gulf Coast Marketplace and its parent organization, Options For Independence, are featured in a new BP video.

BP recently began developing a video featuring the outstanding community recovery work led by Options for Independence and their CEO, Barry Chauvin. Options for Independence is a not-for-profit social services agency based in Houma, Louisiana. Options provides crisis counseling, workforce development and other solutions designed to assist individuals and families impacted by disaster and experiencing barriers to success in Louisiana.

Options has helped individuals and families impacted by hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Gustov. Most recently they have been very involved with community recovery projects throughout Louisiana as a result of the Gulf Coast oil spill disaster.

In September 2011, Options for Independence launched the Gulf Coast Marketplace, an e-commerce solution for community recovery. The Gulf Coast Markeplace is a web platform designed to help Louisiana artists, craftsmen and micro-enterprises deliver their products to a global market.

Leadership from Louisiana businesses and economic development serve on the advisory panel for the Gulf Coast Marketplace and BP contributes as a major sponsor for the community recovery project. In addition, a team of graduate students from the University of New Orleans College of Business is also assisting Options for Independence by providing business development strategy for the project.

The BP video will feature some of the artists that have benefitted from the Gulf Coast Marketplace. Learn more about the many artists, craftsmen and micro-enterprises featured in the project on BayouResilience.com.

www.thegulfcoastmarkeplace.org

http://musictasting.blogspot.com/2012/04/josh-garrett-bbs-jazz-blues-and-soups.html

Artist rendering of the future St. Bernard Parish Hospital

There’s no prouder Louisiana community than that of St. Bernard Parish– and none that was more impacted by the natural and man-made disasters that have rocked the Gulf Coast. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina devastated the area. The storm damaged virtually every building including the parish hospital. This destruction forced the proud residents of St. Bernard to seek healthcare elsewhere.

Photo provided by Jessica Gonzalez, The St Bernard Voice

Expected to open its doors in August 2012, the brand new St. Bernard Parish Hospital will bring healthcare back home to this proud, historically significant community. It promises to serve as an anchoring and stabilizing force in healthcare in St. Bernard Parish and as a major catalyst for economic and community recovery.

The 113,000 square foot state of the art facility will feature 32 general medical/surgical beds and eight intensive care beds, four operating suites, two endoscopy suites, and a 10-bed emergency department. In addition, St. Bernard Parish Hospital will provide complete medical imaging, laboratory and rehabilitation services.

With the patient and their loved ones in mind, considerable attention has been given to the look and feel of the hospital. Floor-to-ceiling windows in waiting areas let in natural light. Wide hallways, large rooms, flat screen TVs and softer light in patient room areas provide a higher level of comfort than what may be expected in a hospital environment.

In addition, all elements of the interior of the hospital have been designed to be as efficient as possible for the medical staff. The design team has focused on providing state-of-the-art medical technology, even taking into account how to reduce the number of steps that it takes for a medical professional to get from point A to point B when taking care of a patient.

A 60,000 square foot medical office building next to the hospital is also under development, thus making the St. Bernard Parish Hospital campus the core provider for the healthcare needs of St. Bernard Parish.

Many former residents have been hesitant to move back into St. Bernard Parish until the flood protection improved, schools were rebuilt and a health care infrastructure was in place. St. Bernard Parish Hospital will play a huge role in the economic and community recovery of the area. The construction of the hospital and the adjoining medical office building has been 100% funded through grants, tax credits and state capital outlay dollars.

For additional information about St. Bernard Parish Hospital visit www.sbph.net.

In March 2010, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed into law, providing seed money to fund health cooperatives in all 50 states. The ACA requires that a health cooperative, known as a “Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan” (“CO-OP”) is formed as a non-profit, controlled by and operated on behalf of its members. As not-for-profit entitities, CO-OPs are likely to create competition among existing health plans and generate innovative cost control measures to make health insurance more affordable.

The “Louisiana Health Cooperative“ is now in formation and seeking approval from the state insurance department to operate as a health insurance company. If approved, it must follow all the Louisiana insurance laws and regulations. It will be directed by its customers and use profits for customer benefits.

Applications for CO-OP formation have been filed in more than half of the states. So far CO-OP awards have been issued in Iowa, Nebraska, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon and Wisconsin. If all applicatons for CO-OP formation are approved, 30 million Americans who are currently uninsured will have an opportunity, or option, for insurance. In addition, CO-OPs will provide an additional choice of insurance for more than 12 million workers now employed by small employers with fewer than 50 employees.

Beginning January 1, 2014, CO-OPs will be able to offer health plans through the new, competitive health care marketplaces in each state called the Affordable Insurance Exchanges. If approved, the Louisiana Health Cooperative will provide a high quality, affordable option for individuals and small groups.

Ochsner Health System is a sponsor of the Louisiana Health Cooperative. On April 2, 2012, Louisiana Health Cooperative will be filing an application with CMS/HHS and would appreciate letters of support from Louisiana individuals and small groups that would benefit from the development of this CO-OP.

For additional information about the Louisiana Health Cooperative, visit http://mylahc.org.

The indoor festival will also feature food, live music and a song-writers contest (look for details in the near future).

Each 10′ x 10′ vendor booth can be leased for $170. Gulf Coast Marketplace vendors recieve a $20 discount. Limited space is available. Vendors will be allowed to share booths.

For more information about the Gulf Coast Marketplace Festival contact Brandi LeCompte, 985-438-1231 or brandi@optionsforindependence.com.

Learn more about some of the artists, craftmen, authors, musicians and micro-enterprises now featured on the Gulf Coast Marketplace by scrolling through BayouResilience.com.