Touro Infirmary

The  Case

In the aftermath of Katrina, New Orleans faced an unprecedented healthcare crisis. Only four of the ten hospitals in the metro New Orleans area reopened after the storm. Touro Infirmary, a 156-year old nonprofit, was the first to reopen. Charity Hospital, the city’s sole public health provider, remained closed leaving only four hospitals to handle the city’s healthcare needs, including the vast number of uninsured patients.

In the months following the storm, uncompensated care proved to be one of the biggest challenges private and nonprofit healthcare providers faced. In New Orleans, more than 35% of the population was without health insurance, compared to pre-Katrina levels of 23%. Nationally, the rate of uninsured is only 16%.

As one of the largest remaining hospital systems in New Orleans and the only hospital and emergency department in the main repopulated area of the city, Touro had an opportunity to lead the effort in securing governmental reimbursement for uncompensated care expenses. The media spotlight remained on New Orleans in the year following Hurricane Katrina, presenting a ripe opportunity for Touro.

The Strategy

The goal of Deveney Communication and Touro’s outreach was to shed light on the uncompensated care crisis that New Orleans hospitals were facing and to position Touro and its CEO as leaders in the healthcare recovery.

Touro’s primary audience included both state and federal legislators. A secondary audience was the general public to create awareness and to secure support for the initiative. However, to successfully reach these audiences the media was targeted heavily with earned media outreach.

Deveney Communication coordinated a press conference that solidified Touro’s position as a thought leader on the issue in the New Orleans market. We also coordinated a dinner meeting hosted by Touro for state legislators to gather and discuss the uncompensated care crisis.

To further draw attention to the issue of uncompensated care by targeting the media, Deveney Communication submitted Letters to the Editor on behalf of Les Hirsch and pitched media interviews to discuss the needs of local hospitals. Aggressive media outreach continued throughout the duration of the campaign.

The Results

It was a long wait for state reimbursement but with constant media attention and diligence on the part of the healthcare community and Deveney, the issue was finally addressed. Touro has served as a thought leader on the many vexing challenges facing New Orleans’ healthcare systems.

As a response to the heightened awareness of the uncompensated care crisis following Katrina, in July 2006 the state legislature approved a $120 million one-time allocation to partially compensate several healthcare providers for costs incurred for providing uncompensated care. Touro Infirmary received $4 million to help cover costs for indigent care.