Jessica Brandt Donates $1.5M to Help Child Abuse Victims

Philanthropist Jessica Brandt has made a very generous donation of $1.5 million dollars to Children’s Hospital in New Orleans to build the Morgan Rae Center for Hope. Brandt's donation is the largest individual gift in hospital history and will allow the facility to expand care for children who are victims of abuse and human trafficking. The new facility will be able to care for 2,000 children each year and serve as a resource for professionals and agencies, providing training and education on child abuse and trafficking.

Children’s Hospital New Orleans announced plans to construct the new Morgan Rae Center for Hope, which will house the hospital’s Audrey Hepburn CARE Center, Child Advocacy Center and provide space for community partners who work collaboratively to serve some of the state’s most vulnerable children, adolescents and teens. In addition, the CARE Center serves as a resource for professionals and agencies across Louisiana, providing training and education on child abuse and trafficking, and serving as subject matter experts. Construction of the new CARE Center is expected to begin in the Spring and be completed in October 2024.

Jessica Brandt makes generous $1.5 million dollar donation to Children’s Hospital in New Orleans.Photo bygambelpr.com

This program provides medical evaluations, forensic interviews and therapeutic treatments that serve more than 1,300 children and adolescents each year in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Lucio A. Fragoso, president and CEO of Children’s Hospital New Orleans said, “We know that there are more kids out there who need our help but are limited by space and ability to expand services in our current facility. We need a new home for this exceptional community program and are incredibly grateful that Jessica Brandt is answering the call for help with her truly transformational gift that will enable us to help many more children and adolescents in need.”

With Brandt's donation, it will allow the center to double the program’s square footage which will allow more children to be cared for as well as expanding the team of pediatricians, case managers, social workers and forensic interviewers. The design of the new center will offer a state-of-the-art training and observation space, conference rooms for multidisciplinary case review, an interactive waiting area, large outdoor play space and dedicated parking.

Jessica Brandt said, “The Morgan Rae Center for Hope is named in loving memory of my late great granddaughter, Morgan Rae Hartline. I am proud that her legacy will help provide a new home for the CARE Center and Child Advocacy Center, which helps start the healing process for children who have suffered injustices that are hard for many of us to hear about or comprehend. The Center for Hope will help more children in our community get the care and support they need.”

To learn more about the Children’s Hospital’s programs and their CARE Center, go to chnola.org