For many years there have been discussions and efforts aimed toward making the greater New Orleans area a nationally recognized healthcare destination.
This fall, with the opening of the Debra H. and Robert J. Patrick Neuroscience Institute at the Ochsner Jefferson Highway campus, the region will take another major step toward that goal.
The $120 million, 132,000-square-foot facility seeks to answer a global need while serving as the only facility of its kind between Atlanta and Houston.
“The idea for the Institute came about over 10 years ago and started from a simple question: How do we make complex, multidisciplinary care for neurological patients easier and more accessible to all who need it?” explained Dr. Cuong Bui, system chair of neurosurgery, and co-service line leader for neurosciences at Ochsner Health. “Patients living with conditions such as stroke, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, brain tumors, spinal disorders, traumatic brain injury, and behavioral health conditions often require lifelong, multidisciplinary care.”
Brain disorders are currently the leading cause of disabilities and second-leading cause of death worldwide. Estimates suggest that close to one billion people — nearly one-eighth of the global population — suffer from various brain-related diseases.
The study and treatment of these disorders is neuroscience. Conditions essentially fall into two categories: neurological, or physical illnesses, and neuropsychiatric, or mental illnesses. However, both types of ailments are present in many patients.
“People are living longer, which equates to a growing incidence of neuroscientific disorders,” explained Todd Mule, vice president of neurosciences at Ochsner Health. “This is a familial disease; it impacts the whole family.”
TECH TO TREAT
The Institute will marry current best practices in the treatment of neuroscientific disorders with the latest technological advances.
“The space design, equipment and technology all represent the leading edge of the field: augmented and virtual reality to enhance neuroplasticity, exoskeleton technology for gait training, body weight support systems, functional electrical stimulation, biofeedback tools, and a rehab pool all designed to maximize recovery, improve quality of life and restore independence,” explained Rebecca Courtney, vice president of the therapy service line at Ochsner Health.
The facility will also allow Ochsner to make its own mark in the field.
“[This] allows us to innovate at the intersection of brain health and behavioral health,” added Lisa Gentry, vice-president of behavioral health at Ochsner Health, “bringing advanced treatments, collaborative care models and emerging technologies together in a way that has not existed before in our region.”
As an example, one of the institute’s innovation centers has 3-D printing capabilities which will enable treatment teams to create models of individual patients’ brains that show the precise locations of tumors or aneurysms. This will help physicians plan the surgery, as well as allow patients to more clearly understand their ailment.
The Institute will also be employing cutting-edge, incisionless brain surgery using focused ultrasound. It will be the only facility in the region with this technology.
Treatment, however, will seek to address more than just the physical brain. The Institute will employ psychiatrists and psychologists with specialized training in neurological conditions and their specific challenges, as well as multiple forms of rehab and therapy including speech, physical, musical, occupational and movement. The focus on improving patient quality of life will extend to classes such as yoga and creative writing, with many therapies also offered to caregivers to aid them in dealing with stress.
Long-term thinking is key as very few neurological disorders are curable.
“We manage these diseases over different stages of life,” Mule elaborated. “But with these new therapies, people can live more effective, rewarding, independent lives.”
Multiple partnerships will play a big role in making all of this a reality. One example is the Team Gleason Assistive Technology Lab. Mule described Team Gleason as “a convener of technology,” and the Lab will provide patients and families with access to everything from advanced communication aids to mobility solutions to environmental control equipment.
While Team Gleason is specifically focused on ALS, Mule noted that the partnership will “bring together technologies that will evolve to go beyond ALS to treat other neuro-degenerative diseases.
“Too often, life-changing assistive technology never reaches patients simply because clinicians haven’t been trained on it or funding pathways haven’t caught up with innovation,” noted Blair Casey, CEO of Team Gleason, “and Ochsner understands that closing that gap requires a real commitment to clinical education regardless of whether a technology is funded or not. That shared belief is why Team Gleason partnered with Ochsner, and why we are so excited about what the Assistive Technology Lab and this building mean for people living with neurodegenerative diseases who deserve access to the best emerging solutions available.”
Other collaborations will similarly provide patient access to the latest technologies and collectively advance the treatment of neuroscientific diseases. Among these is a specialized headset developed by medical device manufacturer Cognito Health that generates sound waves that have been found to be beneficial to patients with diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.
Another example is a partnership with a company called Synchron. Just named one of the “Top 10 Most Influential New Frontiers Companies of 2026” by Time Magazine, Synchron is pioneering the use of brain-computer interfaces — computer chips embedded in the brain using a catheter instead of brain surgery. The chip allows the patient to translate their thoughts into digital commands on anything with a screen. The goal is to help people with paralysis communicate and regain at least partial autonomy.
HUMAN CAPITAL
Making this approach work requires a broad spectrum of professionals and practitioners.
“At the heart of the Institute is a highly integrated multidisciplinary team of neurologists, neurosurgeons, psychiatrists, physiatrists, neuropsychologists, advanced practice providers, rehabilitation therapists, nurses, technologists, researchers and allied health professionals,” said Dr. David Houghton, neurology system chair for Ochsner Health. “This collaborative model is designed to enable coordinated, patient-centered care, and the development and evaluation of innovative therapies and technologies.”
It’s estimated that about 100 new jobs would be created on top of the existing staff of about 160 people, but with the facility nearing completion, staffing could be a bit of a challenge. Although the project integrates numerous existing Ochsner neuroscience programs and services, it also expands on them considerably. And remarkably, given the widespread prevalence of brain disorders, there is an extreme dearth of practitioners in the field.
“Since 2023, nationwide 83% of posted positions remain unfilled,” reported Mule. “There are a limited number of people going into the field.”
Houghton feels, however, that the Institute will have inherent advantages as it works to attract staff.
“Across the country, the demand for neurologic care is outpacing the number of neurologists available to available to provide it,” he said. “The Institute will enable us to recruit nationally recognized physicians, scientists, and therapists while also serving as a major training and educational hub for the next generation of neuroscience professionals.”
Added Courtney, “While therapists are in high demand, Ochsner’s role as a teaching institution positions us well for the long term.”
Houghton said the primary challenge has been not just constructing a new facility but reimagining how care is delivered.
“Aligning clinical strategy, operations, research and physical design around an integrated model requires collaboration. Every square foot of the building was intentionally designed with the patient journey in mind and the goals of improving outcomes and creating a more seamless experience for patients and families.”
EVERYBODY WINS
Dr. Richard Zweifler, Regional Medical Director and co-service line leader for Neurosciences at Ochsner Health, said the Institute will serve as even more than a major regional destination for comprehensive mind, brain and spine care.
“It also creates an important platform for engagement with the broader neuroscience community, including academic collaborators, technology innovators, patient advocacy organizations, rehabilitation partners, and community groups focused on brain health and neurological disease awareness,” he said. “The Institute will help attract highly specialized physicians, scientists, therapists, trainees, and biotechnology partnerships to the area.”
Mule also cited regional economic benefits that will result from the new facility as it works to draw international patients as well as those from around the region. The time patients and their families stay in the area, he noted, will increase local spending on everything from meals and accommodations to transportation.
One further benefit is that, with Ochsner’s existing neuroscience operations transferring to the new building, their current locations on the campus will need to be backfilled. As other medical specialties expand into these areas, more patient care will be offered and more providers will be hired, strengthening the region’s healthcare workforce.
Ultimately, the Patrick Neurosciences Institute has the potential to transform patient care for neuroscientific disorders, both individually and globally, while also providing positive ripple effects across the entire regional health care ecosystem.
“For the first time in our region, we are bringing together the largest multidisciplinary neuroscience group in the Gulf South into a single, state-of-the-art destination designed specifically around the needs of neurological patients and their families,” said Bui. “Care here will flow across a seamless continuum — from prevention and diagnosis to acute treatment, rehabilitation, neuro-restoration, research and lifelong brain and spine health without the fragmentation of the traditional care mode. It’s a single destination. And for patients who need it most, that makes all the difference.”
