Maria Martineau Plankinton, Director, Tenet Healthcare Foundation     The Tenet Foundation Goes to Washington The Tenet Healthcare Foundation joined about a dozen private foundations from across the country recently to meet with President and Mrs. George W. Bush and members of the administration to discuss the ongoing recovery of Louisiana and Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina.  The Presidential Roundtable was held in Washington on January 19 to highlight important community services that may be lost without assistance from the private sector.   While the government has pledged $85 billion for hurricane relief efforts, federal regulations limit public funding for vital community organizations such as private universities and schools, libraries, churches, and some youth programs.  These organizations are fundamental to any successful community, but will have to rely on the generosity of private donations in order to restore their programs and services. “This meeting emphasized the challenges that still remain in rebuilding the Gulf Coast area, and it is clear that it will require the collective efforts of both the public and private sectors in order to succeed,” said Maria Martineau Plankinton, director, Tenet Healthcare Foundation.  “The discussion was a wonderful opportunity to highlight Tenet’s commitment to continue providing healthcare services to the Gulf Coast community through the NOLA Regional Healthcare Network, and we are proud to have already donated over $3.5 million to more than 1,800 of our employees affected by Katrina.”  The meeting, held in the Executive Office Building next to the White House, and was attended by President and Mrs. Bush; Don Powell, Chairman of the Federal Recovery Effort; Karl Rove, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff; Scott McClellan, White House Press Secretary; Dr. Norman Francis, Chairman of the Louisiana Recovery Authority and President of Xavier University; and Leland Speed, Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority.  Francis and Speed both discussed the needs that remain in their states as a result of the hurricanes.   The Tenet Healthcare Foundation was the only healthcare provider foundation represented, as well as the only foundation headquartered in Texas.  Other foundations in attendance included: the Aetna Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Home Depot Foundation, the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, the Wal-Mart Foundation, in addition to a number of other influential organizations.