Fun memories of when a Catholic and Baptist Hospital merged and chose a new name and acronym!
Back in the late 1980's when I was working in New Orleans both administratively and clinically as a Social Worker with an emphasis in gerontology (study of aging), I had many contacts in the aging network.
What a blessing it was when I worked at the New Orleans Council on Aging and to be able to write a weekly “Grey Matters” column for The Times-Picayune to share info helpful to seniors, their caregivers and other professionals in the field of aging.
Through networking with other professionals in the community who were also advocating for elder concerns, I met the wonderful late Sister Mary, a Sister of Mercy, who greatly helped me and others with some of the following and many other gerontology concerns:
1. establishing State funding for Elderly Protective Services and MediCAID coverage for Elder Dental needs,
2. promotion of healthy aging activities and participation in senior centers, including the Uptown Shepherd Center – an interfaith approach for senior care,
3. senior discounts for essential services, including transportation per the RTA.
As health care providers were beginning to merge to facilitate financial concerns, I was intrigued with how a local healthcare merger came about.
In the uptown and mid-city areas of New Orleans, there were two great providers of care – particularly for the biggest users, MediCARE patients.
Baptist Hospital was located on Napoleon Avenue near to South Claiborne Avenue and where my second child was born!
Mercy Hospital was located on the then Jefferson Davis Parkway (and now known as Norman Francis Parkway) at Bienville Avenue – catacorner from where my mother grew up – the Kleinpeter Grocery Store!
So back then, when I had found out that those two hospitals were merging, I was intrigued that the hospitals were renamed “Mercy/Baptist" Hospitals.
I thought that the name would have been reversed in an alphabetic manner.
So I asked Sr. Mary, who was a board member of Mercy Hospital, how the new name came about.
I was amazed and chuckled when I found out the following:
“Board Members from both healthcare institutions worked greatly together and jointly agreed that we would be known as he “M-B Hospital” and not as the “B-M Hospital !!!"
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Reviewed by Ronald Hull
8/4/2026
A very keen observation. Laughed my head off!
Thank you for all you've done for the elderly and underprivileged in the greater New Orleans area.
Re-Release! No longer back-listed. Return to the Olde Ways. The hustle and bustle of modern day life has brought many of us to a quick fix attitude.This book is for those of you who are fed up; have looked at your life and your loved ones and realize
Back in the late 1980's when I was working in New Orleans both administratively and clinically as a Social Worker with an emphasis in gerontology (study of aging), I had many contacts in the aging network.
