Lakeside Hospital and ER reopens

Lakeside Hospital, including its emergency department, has reopened as of noon Tuesday, Sept. 21, again providing compassionate, expert care to patients of all ages.

Tulane Health System temporarily closed the Metairie hospital and ER in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, as most of Jefferson Parish, where the facility is located, was without reliable electricity and water services. After safely transferring patients to sister facilities, the hospital remained closed to allow for remediation and repairs following the storm.

“As our communities recovered from the impact of Hurricane Ida, the safety of our patients, their families and our colleagues was our paramount concern,” said Tom Patrias, Tulane Health System CEO. “We are grateful we had the resources and capacity to transfer our Tulane Lakeside patients to more comfortable facilities while power and water were being restored throughout the parish and at Tulane Lakeside.

“We are now grateful that Tulane Lakeside is back up and running and can continue serving the community.”

Tulane Lakeside offers emergency care and several inpatient services, including women’s and maternity services, neonatal intensive care services, and orthopedic and general surgery. The hospital’s surgery unit is open for emergency procedures, and elective procedures will resume later this week. The hospital’s inpatient rehabilitation unit remains temporarily closed pending additional repairs.

Tulane Health System provided extensive resources to colleagues, residents, faculty and support staff throughout the storm and the ensuing weeks to ensure they could continue providing lifesaving care to patients. These resources included:

• Lodging assistance
• Complimentary meals
• Free fuel for colleague vehicles and home generators, ensuring they have the resources needed to stay safe and get to and from their hospitals
• Mobile trailer laundry services for 24/7 colleague use
• Pop-up commissary stores in hospitals for food, ice and personal and rebuilding supplies

Additionally, the LCMC Health Hope Fund, an employee-sponsored and employee-run financial assistance program, has distributed more than $800,000 in grants to colleagues in need since the hurricane struck the region.

“We know that we need to care for our colleagues so they are able to care for our patients,” Patrias said.