Gayle Benson, owner of the New Orleans Saints and the Pelicans, made an undisclosed donation to New Orleans-based Ochsner Health for a new pediatric hospital.
The five-story, 343,000-square-foot hospital will be named after Ms. Benson and her late husband, Tom Benson. Ochsner expects to break ground on the hospital in mid-2024 and open in 2027, according to an Ochsner news posting.
The donation will come from the Gayle and Tom Benson Charitable Foundation, according to a Dec. 15 New Orleans Saints news release. The donation is the largest Ochsner has ever received, NOLA.com reported Dec. 15.
"We are proud to unveil much-anticipated plans for a new home for Louisiana's No. 1 ranked children's hospital," Ochsner CEO Pete November said in a Dec. 15 New Orleans news release. "Ochsner is deeply grateful for Mrs. Benson and her unparalleled act of generosity, which will significantly impact the lives of countless families throughout Louisiana and the Gulf South. This facility will enable us to care for more children, retain and attract top pediatric physicians and care teams, and continue to set the standard of care."