Adolescent Hospital's Closure Has Families Scrambling
by Amber Sandoval-Griffin - Times-Picayune (excerpt)

Reeling from news that the New Orleans Adolescent Hospital will shut down in the coming two months as a result of Gov. Jindal's budget plan, families served by the mental health facility are searching for other treatment options. Alternatives for those treated by the state-financed Uptown hospital, including some adults, are limited, and the Jindal administration's plan to shift patients to a state hospital on the north shore poses logistical hurdles, health professionals and others say. NOAH is the only facility of its kind in New Orleans, treating hundreds of uninsured and underinsured children, adolescents and adults through inpatient care and three outpatient facilities. Once it closes, the city will be down to 44 beds that accept children and adolescents, the primary group served by NOAH, medical experts said.