'NY Times' Magazine and ProPublica Publish Joint Probe of Euthanasia at NOLA Hospital Post-Katrina

By: Joe Strupp In a major collaboration with ProPublica, The New York Times Magazine is running a cover story Sunday on the impact Hurricane Katrina had on one New Orleans area hospital. It put the story up early today, as did ProPublica. Among its findings, a claim that some patients were euthanized in the chaos that followed the tragic storm.

ProPublica editors, in an announcement of the piece set for Aug. 30, claim it cost some $400,000 and took about two years of reporting and investigation to complete. Although the Times has run four previous ProPublica collaborations, this is the first in the Sunday magazine.

"ProPublica's Dr. Sheri Fink reveals, for the first time ... the full story of what really happened to some of the patients who died at New Orleans's Memorial Medical Center in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina," the announcement states. "In heartbreaking detail, Fink looks into allegations that Dr. Anna Pou and others euthanized patients at the hospital. She reports: how more patients than was previously known were injected; how some were not on their deathbed at the time of the injections, exactly what was injected into some of the patients; which doctors were involved and how they came to their decisions; the horrendous, deteriorating conditions at the hospital; how the coroner and district attorney proceeded with their own investigations; and much more."

The story can be found here.

ProPublica's site also includes online-only features such as a schematic map of the hospital that shows the layout and difficulties in getting around, a timeline of what occurred, photos, and details on many of the people involved.