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LUTCHER — Established in 1955, St. James Parish Hospital has delivered health and wellness services to the River Parishes for nearly 65 years.

Back in the 1950s, the closest hospitals to St. James Parish were in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. David Reynaud —the namesake of the hospital’s medical plaza—was the mayor at the time. He had a vision to create access to healthcare in the community. To make that vision come to life, he spearheaded a campaign for a local hospital, contacted necessary government officials and helped to secure the financing to build the original hospital in St. James Parish.

This financing was approved at the time due to the threat of a nuclear attack. St. James Parish Hospital was the first hospital designed by the chosen architects who went on to design the Superdome and eventually became an award-winning, globally recognized group.

Reynaud, who fought fiercely for the hospital, remained involved after the construction as the original chairman of the St. James Parish Hospital Board of Directors — a position his son, Wilbur, now holds.

Just like the original founder, today’s St. James Parish Hospital team is passionate about expanding healthcare access to the community.

“We believe that everyone has the right to local healthcare, and we are committed to ensuring that care is high-quality,” a hospital spokesperson said. “Our vision started as a goal to be the leading provider of primary care services in our area but like our facility, our goals have grown. We are excited for the opportunity to continue to bring more services, more physicians and more technology home to you.”

St. James Parish Hospital offers quality Inpatient, Outpatient, Emergency, Primary Care and Urgent Care Services and promise to provide these services with care and compassion. The small size of the hospital allows for a focus on value over volume.

Future plans include expanding access. The team recently broke ground on a medical plaza expansion that will house several outpatient services and create space for more local specialists.

The St. James Parish Hospital team believes success comes from a commitment to constantly evolve and reinvest into the programs, services and clinicians that the community needs. Success flows from the support of the company.

“We are so thankful for the opportunity to serve and live our mission of providing excellent, quality and compassionate care, close-to-home,” a hospital spokesperson said. “The more our patients trust us, recommend us and utilize our services, the more we can continue to grow to meet the needs of the River Parishes.”

For more information, call 225-869-5512 or visit sjph.org.