New Orleans-based Ochsner Health broke ground on its new children’s hospital building April 29.
Here are four things to know about The Gayle and Tom Benson Ochsner Children’s Hospital:
1. The five-story, 343,000-square-foot, pediatric- and family-centered facility will replace the current Ochsner Children’s Hospital as a result of a donation from the Gayle and Tom Benson Charitable Foundation announced in December.
2. The new facility, to be constructed on the campus of Ochsner Medical Center-New Orleans, represents a $300 million investment and the largest single construction project in Ochsner Health history, according to an April 29 health system news release.
3. “We knew we wanted to have a new facility that allows us to … grow access to the services that we’re providing,” Ochsner Health CEO Pete November said at Becker’s 15th Annual Meeting. “That’s really what it’s all about, and continuing to grow the world-class pediatric physicians that we have. … No child ever needs to leave the region, because we’ve built and created a pediatric program that’s as good as any in the country.”
4. The project is slated for completion in early 2028 and estimated to create approximately 400 permanent jobs and 200 construction jobs.