Page 1 of 3
Regular Session, 2011 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 132
BY SENATOR DORSEY
A RESOLUTION
To commend and congratulate Dr. Jonathan Roberts for his many contributions to public
healthcare in Louisiana and for his authorship of A History of the Charity Hospitals
of Louisiana: A Study of Poverty, Politics, Public Health, and the Public Interest.
WHEREAS, Dr. Jonathan Roberts, along with Thomas Durant, has coauthored A
History of the Charity Hospitals of Louisiana: A Study of Poverty, Politics, Public Health,
and the Public Interest, a book about the Charity Hospital System of Louisiana which has
provided healthcare for the poor and vulnerable populations and trained physicians and other
healthcare professionals for more than two and a half centuries, beginning in New Orleans,
and which describes the founding and growth of the system of ten public hospitals in
Louisiana and examines the role of race, class and gender in the system's development; and
WHEREAS, the book is the result of five years of research and traces the system's
origins to the founding of its first hospital in New Orleans in 1735, beginning what remains
to be the oldest continuously operating hospital system in the nation; and
WHEREAS, the book offers insight to the meaning of the name Charity Hospital,
which did not indicate free care, but was derived from the order of Catholic nuns, the
Daughters of Charity, who began working at the New Orleans hospital soon after its
founding and were instrumental in its development for generations; and
WHEREAS, countless interviews were conducted for the book, including former
Governor Edwin Edwards and the late BB "60" Rayburn, former state representative and
senator; and
WHEREAS, the book discusses the influence of race, class, and gender on the
development of the hospital system, including the history of desegregation in the hospital
system, and the fact that African American doctors couldn't treat patients in Charity Hospital
until 1965; and SR NO. 132 ENROLLED
Page 2 of 3
WHEREAS, women were also critical in the hospital system's development,
including the work of the Daughters of Charity, the introduction of female physicians, and
the start of nursing education; and
WHEREAS, the only history to date of the state public hospital system, the book is
a comprehensive study of how poverty, politics, public health, public interest, race, gender
and class contributed to the history of one of the largest, and most storied, public healthcare
systems in the nation and is a must read for anyone involved with studies in healthcare
management, public policy, nursing, sociology, Louisiana History, or African American
studies; and
WHEREAS, the authors of the book have done a great service to Louisiana by
recounting the history of the charity hospitals of Louisiana, including its efforts to provide
medical care to the poor and training to medical professions, as prior to this book, a
comprehensive history of all of the charity hospitals of Louisiana had not been written, and
in general, this book fills an important void in the history of Louisiana's unique public
hospital system by recounting the development of charity hospitals during different historical
stages that span a period of more than 260 years; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Jonathan Roberts is a striking example of the power of perseverance
and vision as he overcame many obstacles to become a leader in both his community as well
as in the medical profession; and
WHEREAS, having grown up in the segregated South, Dr. Roberts attributes much
of his success to a sheer determination and a strong educational foundation, including the
completion of a Baccalaureate of Science from Southern University and both a Master and
Doctorate of Public Health from Tulane University, and upon receiving his doctorate, Dr.
Roberts became the first African American to earn the doctoral degree through the School
of Public Health; and
WHEREAS, he has served as Chief Academic Officer at LSU Health Sciences
Center and CEO of Earl K. Long Memorial Hospital, New Orleans Charity Hospital, and
University Hospital; was assistant secretary of the Department of Health and Hospitals and
director of the Charity Hospital System from 1980 to 1984; and has been an Associate
Professor and Director of the Wellness Program with the Southern University System; and SR NO. 132 ENROLLED
Page 3 of 3
WHEREAS, he has also served as Director of Human Resources at Our Lady of the
Lake Regional Medical Center and his rich experiences and accomplishments prepared him
to become the Deputy Director of the National Hansen's Center located in Carville,
Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, while sustaining a thriving career, Dr. Roberts also maintained a firm
commitment to his community, where he served as chief consultant to the Baton Rouge
Chapter of The Links, Incorporated and aided the organization in fashioning an award-
winning study of the health and social services systems in Louisiana.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend and congratulate Dr. Jonathan Roberts for his many contributions to
public health care in Louisiana and for his authorship of A History of the Charity Hospitals
of Louisiana: A Study of Poverty, Politics, Public Health, and the Public Interest.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to Dr.
Jonathan Roberts.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE