(NEW ORLEANS) – LCMC Health, a Louisiana-based, not-for-profit hospital system serving the healthcare needs of the Gulf Coast region, announced an investment of $125,000 in GNO, Inc. to support a range of programs, including implementation of the MediFund, a statewide initiative to drive destination healthcare and research commercialization.
“This is an exciting time to live and work in Greater New Orleans and we’re proud to be a part of the region’s significant and positive growth,” said Greg Feirn, CEO of LCMC Health, which currently manages award-winning community hospitals including Children’s Hospital, Touro, New Orleans East Hospital, Interim LSU Hospital and the new University Medical Center. “The development of the BioDistrict, anchored by University Medical Center, is a catalyst for positive change throughout the city and beyond. Our investment in GNO, Inc. will support the entire region as it continues to become a national economic leader.”
“GNO, Inc. deeply appreciates LCMC’s investment in the organization and the region,” said Michael Hecht, President and CEO of Greater New Orleans, Inc. “LCMC Health has an outstanding reputation and exciting plans for growth, and we look forward to enhancing our partnership in order to support the growth of biosciences, and to establish our region as a hub for destination healthcare and research commercialization."
So far in 2014, nearly 2,000 direct jobs have been created through GNO’s initiatives. GNO, Inc. will work closely with LCMC Health to attract complimentary medical businesses and to brand Greater New Orleans as a center of innovation and excellence, in healthcare and beyond. GNO, Inc. will also work with its partners to ensure that regional medical workforce demands are met.
Greater New Orleans, Inc. is a regional economic development alliance serving the 10-parish region of Southeast Louisiana. Their mission is to serve as the catalyst for wealth creation and accomplish this by pursuing an aggressive agenda of business development—marketing the region—and product development—improving regional business conditions through policy, workforce, and research initiatives. Ultimately, GNO, Inc. wants New Orleans to be considered one of the best places in the country to grow and raise a family.
The New Orleans biomedical corridor encompasses 1,500 acres spanning the Downtown and Mid-City areas of New Orleans, and will be anchored by University Medical Center and Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System currently under construction. Economic development efforts in this corridor focus on the cultivation of a biosciences industry in New Orleans that will provide world-class research and development; local, regional, and global healthcare delivery; and stable, high-paying jobs for professionals, managers and workers representing a wide range of skills.
