Construction Begins On State-Of-The-Art Cobalt Medical Center In Mid-City
NEW ORLEANS – Today, Mayor Mitch Landrieu, New Orleans Business Alliance (NOLABA) CEO Quentin L. Messer, Jr. and executives from Cobalt Medical Development celebrated the start of construction at the site of the company’s new rehabilitation hospital in Mid-City.
The $24 million project, located on a formerly vacant lot, will result in a state-of-the-art medical facility to treat traumatic brain injuries, concussions, Parkinson’s Disease and other conditions. As part of the company’s commitment to its newest location, Cobalt has focused on local businesses to carry out the building’s construction.
“The city’s economy is growing. We’re experiencing tremendous job growth, while also attracting knowledge-based businesses like Cobalt Medical Development,” said Mayor Landrieu. “Cobalt will create hundreds of new jobs for our residents and bring a previously blighted property back into commerce. We welcome Cobalt to New Orleans and to our growing biomedical corridor.”
According to Cobalt, construction has already generated approximately 160 jobs with its contractors. Once it is complete, the company expects the new hospital to employ nearly 180 people, including physicians, nurses, physical therapists and nursing assistants.
“We are excited to be under construction on this state of the art hospital and soon to be proving exceptional quality patient care to New Orleanians. We are transforming rehab, our mission is providing great outcomes, superior service and we are proud to be in this terrific City,” said Erik de Vries, founder of Cobalt Medical Development.
The New Orleans Business Alliance (NOLABA) led efforts to attract Cobalt to the market by assisting with site selection, facilitating the permit process and supporting on numerous other aspects of the project. NOLABA categorizes the new facility as a perfect example of the impact that the burgeoning biomedical cluster will have on the city’s economy.
Quentin L. Messer, president and CEO of NOLABA, said, “By investing in New Orleans, Cobalt is not only taking advantage of a prime market for the company’s own expansion, but also helping to expand opportunity for New Orleanians – whether through contracts with locally owned businesses, by employing residents, or by expanding the city’s tax base. Wins for the city like Cobalt are evidence of the momentum building for a strong biomedical industry and an increasingly diverse economy for New Orleans.”
The 64,000 square-foot facility will house 60 inpatient beds and other inpatient and outpatient services, and it will feature hotel-like amenities. It is conveniently situated for referral to and from the city’s other medical facilities, including the new University Medical Center-Veterans Administration complex.
“The partnership of Cobalt Medical Development & New Orleans Business Council to develop a new medical facility brings to the city sorely needed services in the area of rehabilitative therapy,” said Councilmember Nadine Ramsey. “New Orleans has suffered from a dearth of options for the treatment of traumatic brain injury in particular. Our citizens will benefit greatly from this addition.”
