THUMBS UP
Xavier University and Ochsner Health
have partnered to create a new medical school at the historically Black, Catholic university. The Xavier Ochsner College of Medicine will be the first medical school operated by an HBCU in the Gulf South. Only 6% of doctors are Black, and the new medical school aims to address that disparity.
THUMBS UP
Iam C. Tucker,
the president and CEO of New Orleans company ILSI Engineering, has been named National Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Tucker took the helm of the civil engineering firm from her father, Robert H. Tucker, and over the last 15 years has grown the business from 9 to 50 employees and secured more than 100 contracts with local, state and federal agencies.
THUMBS DOWN
The New Orleans metro area
has the highest rate in the country of seniors living in poverty, according to a new report by the New Orleans Council on Aging. More than 39% of people who are 60 or older either live in poverty or are just above the poverty level and can’t afford an emergency. The New Orleans area also has the largest population of seniors who are food insecure or have low food security.
