By Monique Roth
L’Observateur

VACHERIE — St. James Parish West Bank residents now have a department of St. James Parish Hospital operating within Vacherie city limits, as a general practice and primary care partnership began operation Monday.

Aptly named the St. James West Bank Clinic, St. James Parish Hospital CEO Mary Ellen Pratt said the hospital bought the building, property and existing practice of Dr. Sarat Donepudi of Vacherie and is now supporting his operation.

Donepudi began his practice in Vacherie in 1980. Pratt said his collaboration with the hospital has been in the work for 18 months, as establishing a presence on the West Bank was a large goal established as part of the hospital’s 2013 strategic initiative.

Saying the hospital “can’t fix what’s not broken,” Pratt said Donepudi’s practice will in large part continue as normal.

“He’s very well-respected and loved,” Pratt said. “Nothing will change for his existing patients.”

Pratt said future opportunities made possible by the collaboration include specialists from St. James Hospital making rotations to the Vacherie clinic, which would provide the nearly 9,000 residents of St. James Parish’s West Bank more convenient services and increase hospital access for the entire community.

The St. James West Bank Clinic, open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, is located at 21420 Louisiana Highway 20 in Vacherie. Pratt said the location on Highway 20 is as “centrally located as possible” for West Bank residents.

Pratt said a future open house for the clinic would be planned for residents to learn more about its services.

Having practiced medicine in St. James Parish for over 34 years, Donepudi received his undergraduate degree from Hindu College in India and attended medical school at Rangaraya Medical College/Andhra University. He completed internships at Government General Hospital in India and Herotin Hospital in Chicago and residency at Metro Group Hospitals of the University of Illinois and at Fairview General Hospital in Ohio.

He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the Louisiana State Medical Society.  

Working alongside Donepudi has been and will continue to be Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Frannie Waguespack, who earned a degree as a registered nurse from Charity Hospital School of Nursing in New Orleans and a certificate as an Emergency Ambulatory Nurse Practitioner from the University of Texas in Houston.

Waguespack is a certified occupational health nurse/specialist.

To make an appointment at St. James West Bank Clinic, call 225-265-3013.