A five-story pediatric powerhouse is climbing out of the ground on Ochsner Health’s main New Orleans campus, a roughly $300 million bet that children across the Gulf South will not have to leave the region for top-tier care. The Gayle and Tom Benson Ochsner Children’s Hospital is slated to open by early 2028, uniting more than 30 pediatric specialties under one roof and bringing an estimated 400 permanent health-care jobs with it.
Ground broke on April 29, 2025, after a transformational gift from The Gayle and Tom Benson Charitable Foundation. The project is the largest single construction undertaking in the system’s history, according to Ochsner Health. The 343,000-square-foot facility is designed to include a Level IV surgical neonatal intensive care unit and a larger, children-only emergency department, all with the goal of keeping more complex pediatric care in the Gulf South.
Construction Timeline and Milestones
So far, 2025 work has wrapped up underground utilities and drainage upgrades, and the site has moved into pile driving that must be finished by mid-March to stay ahead of anticipated river rises. Concrete and foundation work kicked off in late January, with an estimated 22,000 cubic yards of concrete set to be poured. The exterior structural frame and building envelope are scheduled through the end of 2026, with metal panels and glass installation expected to stretch into mid-2027, as reported by New Orleans CityBusiness.
“Everything is on schedule, and that’s a tribute to all of the hard work and continued communication among our construction, engineering, and architecture partners,” Jay Britsch, Ochsner’s system vice president of facilities, told New Orleans CityBusiness.
Design and Patient Amenities
The building’s design leans heavily into family-friendly features and clear wayfinding. Each floor is themed around elements of the Gulf South, with open-air patios, play areas, and family resource centers woven throughout, according to Ochsner Health. The project will add 18 emergency beds for a total of 26, expand pediatric critical care to about 40 ICU rooms, and include two cardiac catheterization suites. Plans also call for a connected parking garage to serve patients and staff.
What It Means for the Neighborhood
Beyond hospital walls, the development is projected to create roughly 400 permanent health-care jobs and about 200 construction positions. It also includes a pocket park on River Road between Betz and Deckbar avenues and a planned pedestrian crossing to improve access to the Mississippi River levee, New Orleans CityBusiness reports…