A new $45.6 million sports medicine facility is coming to Metairie and will be built next to the Saints and Pelicans training facility, Ochsner Health and the two teams announced Wednesday.
Called Ochsner Medical Complex - Airline, it will be on the corner of Airline Drive and Tom Benson Way. Construction is expected to start later this year with a projected opening in late 2027.
It will be an expansion of Ochsner's partnership with national sports medicine provider Andrews Medicine, which already provides orthopedic surgeons, sports medicine physicians, athletic trainers and physical therapists in cities across Louisiana as part of the Ochsner Andrews Sports Medicine Institute.
“This is a world-class medical facility that we should all be very proud to have in our community," Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson said in a statement. "It will serve patients throughout the entire Gulf South region in addition to directly servicing players from both teams."
23-012B_Ochsner Catalyst-New Orleans_DD Renderings_11.08.24 reduced.pdf
Ochsner Health and the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, announced plans for a new medical complex next to the teams' training facility in Metairie. Provided by Ochsner Health
Catalyst, a national real estate firm that focuses on health care, is the developer, and New Orleans-based Corporate Realty Inc. worked with Catalyst and Jefferson Parish government, which agreed to extend a lease for the land to the Saints/Pelicans organization.
The two-story, 46,000-square-foot facility will include a retention pond to improve drainage for the entire area of the LaSalle tract, Ochsner said.
In addition to the Saints and Pelicans training facilities, the area includes the Shrine on Airline stadium, a jogging/walking path, and LaSalle Park, which includes multiple soccer and softball fields.
"For over a decade, the land in LaSalle Park has sat unused. With this new lease agreement and the creation of a Public Benefit Corporation, we’re finally unlocking the full potential of this property,” said Jefferson Parish Council member Deano Bonano said in the news release.
The new facility's estimated economic impact is $134 million over 10 years with 60 new jobs, Ochsner said.
The parish created a public benefit corporation to carry out the deal, and in return the Gayle and Tom Benson Charitable Foundation agreed to donate $5 million for a new aquatic center on the West Bank, or a different recreational facility in Bonano's 2nd Parish Council District.
The Ochsner Medical Complex will be open to the public and serve everyone from kids to professional athletes to senior citizens.
“This facility is designed to be a premier destination for sports medicine care in the region, offering cutting-edge treatments and expertise to help our local professional athletes and competitors of all levels stay active, recover stronger, and achieve their full potential," Dr. W. Stephen Choate, the lead physician for the Saints, said in the release.
The Saints, in particular, were hamstrung by injuries last season, and Dennis Allen called it "extremely frustrating."
23-012B_Ochsner Catalyst-New Orleans_DD Renderings_11.08.24 reduced.pdf
Ochsner Health and the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, announced plans for a new medical complex next to the teams' training facility in Metairie. Provided by Ochsner Health
The complex is part of a partnership extension between the Saints, Pelicans and Ochsner. The teams' existing training facility recently underwent a major renovation.