Medical Industry

A collaborative spirit among major health institutions has created a premier research center for biomedical and biotechnology research in New Orleans. Working together, the LSU Medical Center and Tulane University Health Sciences Center—with the support of downtown developers— have created a hub for medical research and a thriving corridor of medical service companies.

Located primarily downtown, New Orleans' research centers attract world-class experts to conduct groundbreaking research, fueling a boom in the bio medical and technology sector in Southeast Louisiana. Health-related services now account for one-third of the region's job growth over the last 12 years.

To encourage this entrepreneurial development, the Downtown Development District along with medical professionals formed the non-profit New Orleans Medical Complex (Normc) in 1991 to coordinate services and facilitate downtown growth.

The complex consists of member institutions in the downtown geographical area— The LSU Health Sciences Center, Tulane Health Sciences Center, Medical Center of Louisiana, Charity and University hospitals, Tulane University Hospital and Clinic, Delgado School of Nursing, Xavier University School of Pharmacy and the University of New Orleans.

Today, NORMC encompasses more than 40 city blocks, over 100 buildings with six million square feet of office space. Its institutions treat more than 1.5 million patients each year and have graduated 12,000 doctors and thousands more nurses and allied health professionals.

The complex sponsors projects and transfers their final execution to a member institution. Phase I of the NORMC-initiated elevated walkway to member facilities, now sponsored by the LSU Health Sciences Center, nears completion; and the $10 million state-sponsored Wet-Lab to help researchers commercialize their inventions will soon be a reality at 1441 Canal Street.

Companies in the area now have access to resources to bring pharmaceuticals and biotech products to market quickly and efficiently.

The member institutes account for some 18,000 jobs, says A.J. Finnin, Interim Executive Director of the New Orleans Medical Complex. Over a 10- or 15-year period that could likely double if the facilities that are envisioned are successfully developed. The medical industry is currently a huge economic development engine for the city, and it could be even greater.

For more information, contact A.J. Finnin, Interim Executive Director of the New Orleans Medical Complex, at (504) 529-4544. By fax (504) 529-2917. Toll free 877-529-4544. Email afinnin@normc.com. Write to the New Orleans Medical Complex, Inc., P.O. Box 57449, New Orleans, LA 70157-7449.