Gov. Bobby Jindal was set this week to mark the groundbreaking of one of his signature projects, the $1.2 billion University Medical Center near downtown New Orleans. But U.S. Sen. David Vitter, a longstanding opponent of the project, dumped all over the plans, says John Maginnis. “In language he normally reserves for Democratic schemes, Vitter lambasted the state’s plans as ‘over-sized,’ ‘unrealistic’ and ‘unsustainable,’ ” Maginnis says. “While he agreed with the need for a modern teaching hospital, he says something less expansive should be built either in the shell of the old Charity Hospital or on a smaller footprint on the new site.” Vitter’s criticism is similar to what is found in a study done by an Illinois company, which says New Orleans needs a hospital with 20% fewer beds. Read the full column here.
(John Maginnis publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com.)
