A routine prenatal visit at the Laveau Clinic took an unusual turn when a staff physician used the appointment to extend personal invitations to a masked grand reopening event scheduled for the 21st. The gathering concluded with the doctor distributing a compact disc of medical records and issuing encouragement to attend.

The Ledger has learned that the physician carries affiliations that extend well beyond the clinic's walls. Sheriff's Office sources note that private medical settings have increasingly been used as recruitment grounds for invitation-only social events.

A department spokesperson offered this reminder: 'Port Laveau's institutions exist to serve the community. Those who use positions of trust to draw residents into closed social circles should expect that trust to be examined carefully.'