Much of Baton Rouge’s health care infrastructure and economy are concentrated along an unofficial and unorganized medical corridor—Essen, Bluebonnet, Perkins, I-10. Major health care employers and hospitals, educational institutions, destination shopping, dining, parks, and cherished neighborhoods—this busy hub has it all. Except a cohesive plan. The plan for the Health District will offer a place like no other. Marshaled together, the unique medical assets in this area will enable researchers and physicians to collaborate in productive new ways, to offer patients better health care, and to conduct clinical trials of the latest innovations. They can work together to challenge chronic illnesses, not only here at home, but also among the sick far outside our city limits and throughout the world. A unified medical community, brought together within the bounds of a shared Health District, will enable Baton Rouge health care providers to combine their diverse strengths and compete with medical centers nationwide. The Health District will enhance the well-being of not only the sick, but of many, many others in our community too. Coordinated investment decisions about land-use and transportation will create an interconnected, walkable community—an attractive place where patients and visitors, physicians and staff, commercial concerns and their customers can all thrive together.
