[StBernard] LRA Applauds Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund for Donating $2 Million to Operating Costs for South Cameron

[Westley Annis]

LRA Applauds Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund for Donating $2 Million to Operating Costs for South Cameron Hospital

CAMERON, La. (December 20, 2006) - The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) applauded the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund today for donating $2 million toward the start-up operating costs for a new state-of-the-art facility to replace South Cameron Memorial Hospital. Former President George H. W. Bush, along with Admiral Thad Allen of the U.S. Coast Guard Commandant and the actor George Clooney, announced the grant today at Courthouse Square in Cameron. This money will provide operating capital for the hospital to open its doors, once its rebuild is complete. 

Construction of the new $22 million facility will be financed through a combination of FEMA funds and Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) in accordance with a plan approved by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, the LRA and the Louisiana Legislature. Last September, Hurricane Rita devastated Southwest Louisiana, completely destroying the hospital, which operated as the only full-service hospital in Cameron Parish.

"The significance of this hospital in Cameron is similar to what the Superdome means to New Orleans. It is not only a symbol of hope, but it is tangible evidence that the residents of Cameron Parish are coming back," said LRA member Tom Henning. "Simply put, FEMA funds and match funds didn't cover the full cost. We realized this effort would be absolutely critical to ensuring Cameron's long-term recovery and future growth so we wanted to provide support. We thank the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund for their incredibly generous donation toward operation costs and we are pleased to provide financing to get this project underway."

Working with the LRA, Chairman Donald Powell and Louisiana's Congressional Delegation, Governor Blanco helped to expedite the project worksheets for this project through the approval process for FEMA's Public Assistance (PA) Program. FEMA recently approved eight PA project worksheets based on estimates to restore the hospital to its pre-disaster condition. Through the PA Program, FEMA provides supplemental federal disaster grant assistance for the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly owned facilities with the intention of restoring them to pre-disaster conditions. Improvements and additions to permanent infrastructure projects are often deemed to be ineligible for funding through the FEMA PA Program.

Recognizing that the return of hospital services is critical to support the return of residents and businesses to Cameron Parish, the LRA passed a resolution in August designating damage to public rural hospitals as a criterion eligible for funding under the Local Government Infrastructure Program. Through this action, the state committed Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds to cover all of Cameron's non-federal matching costs and all repair costs that are deemed to be ineligible for FEMA public assistance, which could total to more than $4 million. 

In September, with these federal, state and private commitments in place, residents of Cameron Parish overwhelmingly approved a 10-year maintenance tax designed to support sustainable hospital operations, clearing the way for construction of the new facility to begin.

Once completed, this new state-of-the art facility will include a full emergency room, 25 inpatient beds and rural health clinic, which includes a dental program. The hospital will also house a retail pharmacy and other ancillary services. The hospital is to be constructed in two phases. Phase I will include the emergency department and eight (8) inpatient beds. Phase II includes 17 inpatient beds and the other ancillary services. The contractor currently predicts that substantial completion of Phase I will be accomplished on or before March 25, 2007. 

In accordance with the state's hazard mitigation and elevation policies, the hospital has been designed as an elevated structure with the finished floor located at an elevation of 10 feet above sea level, allowing for 1 foot of freeboard above base flood elevation. Freeboard is the distance between the base flood elevation and the bottom of the structure, which provides an additional safety factor. The hospital's emergency generator and sewer treatment plant are also designed to allow their continued operation during flood events. The hospital's structure is structural steel set upon concrete piers and is designed to withstand winds of 130 miles per hour.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, claiming 1,464 lives, destroying more than 200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses. The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) is the planning and coordinating body that was created in the aftermath of these storms by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to lead one of the most extensive rebuilding efforts in the world. The LRA is a 33-member body which is coordinating across jurisdictions, supporting community recovery and resurgence, ensuring integrity and effectiveness, and planning for the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana.

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