Dr. Jake Kleinmahon loves New Orleans, but he can’t stay there.
“These people have never had to sit down at the dinner table and look their children in the eye and tell them that this state that they grew up in the state that they love, the state that we’ve poured our hearts into is trying to make laws against our family,” he explained of his family’s decision to move to New York.
At Ochsner Hospital for Children, Kleinmahon serves as the medical director of pediatric heart transplant, heart failure and ventricular assist device programs. He also trained in pediatrics at Tulane University Hospital in New Orleans.
In 2017, while he was training at Childrens Hospital Colorado, Kleinmahon was awarded the Colorado Chapter of the Pediatric Congenital Heart Association’s Doctor of the Year award.
“In the last five years, I’m happy to say that we have accomplished that and we no longer have to send kids out of state for lifesaving transplants,” said the doctor. “Fortunately, I have a great team surrounding me that will still be there after I leave, but it's heartbreaking for both me and my family and my kids, and most importantly, my patients who really relied on me these years for guidance.”
Kleinmahon also explained that his decision to leave became widely known after an Instagram post went viral.
In particular, Kleinmahon mentioned three pieces of legislation that his family finds troublesome. Although all three bills were vetoed by Governor John Bel Edwards, Kleinmahon and his partner are worried about what might happen if a Republican governor is elected, as the Democratic leader has reached his term limits. Qualifying for the upcoming election began this week.
“This was one of the hardest decisions of our lives,” Kleinmahon said. “We love New Orleans. We love Louisiana. We do not want to leave,” he said, adding that the state is losing one of just three specialists in his field currently in the state.
“It’s not just legislation that doesn’t matter. I mean, it matters. It causes a ripple effect in our society,” said Scoot. Listeners in support of the doctor also sent texts to WWL during their talk.
Related
