01:15 PM CDT on Wednesday, October 5, 2005

WWLTV.com

Charity and University hospitals cannot be salvaged and must be completely rebuilt, the executive director of the group that runs the medical centers testified to the LSU Board of Supervisors Wednesday.

Don Smithburg said that the hospitals, which serve nearly 500,000 patients a year between them, are “dangerous, dangerous places.”

According to Smithburg, the hospitals suffered irreparable damage during and after Katrina, including mold, unsafe air and severely damaged electrical systems.

“Big Charity and University hospitals were issued their death warrant by Katrina,” said Smithburg.

Smithburg said LSU would replace its hospitals.

“We are going to build newer, more modern facilities that will withstand the test of time,” he said. “They will withstand the next storm, and the one after that. Charity and University have anchored the health care system of south Louisiana for over one hundred years. We believe they should be replaced quickly to ensure they provide health care for the next 100 years and beyond.”