If the nation stays on its current course, hospital leaders are increasingly concerned that more healthcare facilities will be overwhelmed as shortages of healthy caregivers make it difficult to handle a rapidly increasing number of patients.

Investments will support projects that eliminate barriers to healthcare; bring resources into underserved, urban and rural communities; collaborate with partners to research and better understand health disparities; utilize technology and innovation to improve outcomes and invest in Louisiana’s next generation of healthcare providers and frontline staff.

The study evaluated 312 Ochsner Health cancer patients who tested positive for COVID-19 between March 1 and April 30, 2020 and compared that group’s mortality rates with 4,833 Ochsner Health COVID-19-positive patients without cancer during that same time period.