[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 112 (Wednesday, September 20, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1547]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      OCHSNER FOUNDATION HOSPITAL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DAVID VITTER

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 20, 2000

  Mr. VITTER. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, September 25, the Ochsner 
Foundation Hospital will open a spectacular new addition. This $46 
million facility will provide 140 square feet of space over three 
floors. The first floor will include a world-class emergency and trauma 
center; the second floor will be home to 10 new operating rooms with 
the most advanced equipment; and the third floor will include 32 new 
intensive care unit patient rooms. By placing these improved facilities 
in new construction, operations of the existing facility are not 
threatened.
  These improvements will improve the quality of care of patients at 
Ochsner. They also will provide a better learning environment for the 
more than 200 medical residents that study each year at Ochsner.
  The Ochsner Foundation Hospital, at its present location since 1954, 
is accredited with commendation by the Joint Commission on 
Accreditation of Health Care Organizations, an achievement which places 
the hospital above 87% of all hospitals in the U.S. The hospital admits 
over 18,000 patients each year for a total of more than 97,000 patient 
days. The average length of stay at Ochsner is 4.9 days. In addition, 
each year 30,000 individuals are treated on an emergency outpatient 
basis.
  Known for surgical expertise with nearly 12,000 surgery cases handled 
each year, the hospital is also known for its pediatric, cancer, 
cardiology, and orthopedic programs. The Ochsner Multi-Organ 
Transplantation Center performs transplantation surgeries for most 
major solid organ systems and ranks as the fifth largest heart 
transplantation program in the country.
  Ochsner has provided generations of patients from the New Orleans 
area and from throughout the world with quality medical care. This new 
addition will permit them to continue providing the highest quality of 
medical care for future generations.

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