Health Services Then and Now
Louisiana has one of the oldest healthcare systems in the nation. Early government records in St. Charles Parish reveal the health of the residents of the community was a primary concern for officials. But twentieth-century officials brought healthcare to a new level. In 1959, St. Charles Parish Hospital opened its doors to the community. In 1961, the following evaluation of the health and medical conditions in the parish was presented in a parish-sponsored document published by the St. Charles Parish Development Board: “St. Charles Parish is a healthful parish, due in a large part to the immunization practices that have been instituted. Flood control and greatly improved sanitation have helped to win the fight against communicable diseases. This fight was led by the Parish Health Unit. Today there is a modern general hospital on the west bank and several well equipped clinics located in the parish. Ambulance service is available, as is good ferry service to reach the general hospital. Eleven doctors and six dentists have greatly improved the medical situation reducing the need for going to New Orleans.” The hospital became readily available to all residents with the opening of the Hale Boggs Bridge. In 1998, an east bank medical office building was opened by the hospital, and in 2010, a state-of-the-art hospital acute care facility in Luling offers a broad spectrum of medical services.
Community Health Center
St. Charles Community Health Center opened its doors in 2003 at 843 Milling Avenue in Luling directly behind St. Charles Parish Hospital replacing a state health unit, which had closed. The center’s mission is to provide accessible high quality healthcare through collaborative community efforts, to promote prevention and coordinate treatment, and to improve the healthcare status of the community with the emphasis on the underserved and vulnerable populations. The center now has satellite centers in Destrehan, Kenner, and Norco as well as a mobile medical unit.
This text is copyright © material by Marilyn Richoux, Joan Becnel and Suzanne Friloux, from St. Charles Parish, Louisiana: A Pictorial History, 2010.
