Xavier, Ochsner to announce new details today of new med school

Xavier University and Ochsner Health today announce new developments in launching the fourth medical school in Louisiana, and the third in New Orleans.

Not only will this be another training ground for the future of health care, it will be the only historically Black university in Louisiana to have a medical school. GNO Inc. president and Michael Hecht says it means the pre-med students that Xavier has been sending medical schools across the nation now have another option to stay in the region.

"Xavier, historically, has provided the pipeline for the most Black doctors in the country," said Hecht.

Hecht shows study after study shows patients prefer doctors who share the same cultural background, so the more Xavier-trained doctors there are who stay in Louisiana to practice medicine, the better it will be for the state.

"In terms of health equity, in terms of better outcomes, but also in terms of creating just, you know, a lot of wealth opportunities for doctors and physicians," said Hecht.