Advancing the Healthcare Community of Acadia Parish
When Lafayette General Health assumed management of the now Acadia General Hospital in 2014, their promise was to make positive changes to Acadia General Hospital and the community as a whole. In a short 5 years, they have accomplished just that. In addition to providing high-quality healthcare, Acadia General is fully engaged in our community by providing financial and volunteer support to countless charitable organizations, civic groups, schools, and community projects. The recent ER expansion marks another significant milestone along the journey of Acadia General Hospital and a testament to their commitment of providing high-quality healthcare
The hospital dates back to 1901 and was made an official hospital in 1912 as Crowley Sanitarium, Inc., and the modern-day hospital has operated out of its current location since
Now, Acadia General Hospital serves a growing Acadia Parish population of approximately 62,000. Acadia General, overall, employs 311 with an annual payroll of over $16.7 million and employs 30 at the ER.
Their medical staff provides high quality acute medical and surgical care, gynecology, pediatric, orthopedic, otolaryngology, cardiac, nephrology, ophthalmology, oncology, emergency services, vein therapy, wound care and hyperbaric medicine. There are two outpatient departments of the hospital, which are offsite: Center for Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine located in Tower One; and Cardiac Outpatient Services located on Northern Avenue.
Acadia General Hospital cuts ribbon on new Emergency Department
Acadia General Hospital cut the ribbon on its new $4 million, 7,500-square foot emergency department on November 2, 2018.
It features nine patient rooms, one trauma room, two triage rooms, two holding rooms and waiting for 35, among other dedicated specialty care areas. The original ER was 3,000 square feet and built to serve 600 patients per month. Acadia General Hospital currently sees 1,850 patients per month in its emergency department.
Completed ahead of schedule
Lafayette General Health and AGH board members, administrators and staff, along with city dignitaries and Lafayette General Foundation donors, were all part of the celebration held outside of the ER entrance.
Construction on the expansion and renovation project broke ground in December of last year and was completed in advance of the scheduled 12-14 month time frame. The new space was funded, in part, by donations and includes separate ambulance and public entryways.
“In the new emergency department, private rooms have replaced curtained bays to enhance patient privacy and there is a dedicated space for behavioral health patients,” said Acadia General Hospital CEO Joseph Mitchell.
List of features
“It was designed to enhance the patient experience and to continue offering quality care to the residents of Acadia Parish. Additionally, patients will have access to the newest, most sophisticated medical technology right here at home.”
The new emergency department features:
- Redesigned entry area to better triage patients, evaluate them and refer for appropriate level of care
- Expansion of exam and treatment rooms to handle patient volume
- Expanded trauma room for the most critically injured to better handle equipment and staff during care
- Improved privacy in patient treatment areas and nursing work area
- More comfortable waiting area(s) for patient families
- A dedicated psychiatric treatment area
- Improved entrances for both walk-in and ambulance patients
- Redesign of clinical and office work areas for improved staff flow
“In a situation where seconds count, the emergency room can be the difference between life and death. By enlarging our ER and making it more efficient, we’re prepared to meet the needs of even more patients in distress. It’s all part of fulfilling our mission to restore, maintain and improve health,” continued Mitchell.
Impact on Crowley
According to the Lafayette Economic Development Authority (LEDA), this construction project has had the following economic impact in Crowley:
- Acadia General Hospital has 311 employees with an annual payroll of over $16.7 million
- The ER has 30 employees with a payroll of nearly $2 million
- The total cost of construction for new ER is $4 million.
- The overall economic impact on the area for this project is $5.6 million. Every dollar spent on construction has pumped an extra $.33 into the surrounding economy which includes an additional 41 jobs and $1.5 million in wages.
- The additional economic activity has benefited the state and local tax revenue by approximately $95,000.
“When Lafayette General came to Crowley in 2014, we promised to do everything we could to bolster healthcare in Acadia Parish” said Lafayette General Health President David L. Callecod.
“Back then, I stated that we knew we could make positive changes to this hospital and the community as a whole. I believe that TODAY more than ever as we mark another milestone along the journey of Acadia General Hospital and celebrate the grand opening of this new ER.”
History of Acadia General Hospital
The history of Acadia General Hospital can be traced back to 1901 and a two-story wooden building on First Street, a few blocks east of Parkerson Ave. In 1902, that hospital, started by Dr. Elijah M. Ellis and Dr. Jules E. Ludeau, relocated to another property owned by Dr. Ludeau at 819 N. Parkerson Ave. In 1907, Dr. Ellis and Dr. Z.J. Franzes bought out Ludeau’s share of the six-bed facility. Dr. Ellis then raised money to officially establish Crowley Sanitarium, Inc., on May 24, 1912.
On November 1, 1912, Crowley Sanitarium opened its first location on Parkerson Avenue just south of the railroad tracks at 16th Street (now Oak Street) in the former Commercial Hotel building. In December 1913, after being open for little more than a year, an explosive fire from a stove in the kitchen burned Crowley Sanitarium down. The hospital moved back to 819 N. Parkerson until a new building could be built.
In January 1916, Crowley Sanitarium moved into a brand new two-story wooden building on Avenue K between 7th and 8th streets. The hospital functioned at its Avenue K location until the death of Dr. Ellis, the hospital’s chief stakeholder, in 1928. With Dr. Ellis’s passing, Crowley’s only hospital closed its doors. The stock market crash of 1929 followed, and the hospital remained closed for more than a year.
The lack of a hospital in Crowley prompted members of American Legion, Inc., Acadia Post No. 15, to take action. Using money they had been saving to buy their own meeting place, the Post purchased hospital stock from the Ellis estate and, on June 29, 1929, Acadia Post 15 reopened Crowley Sanitarium on Avenue K with a new name, Legion Memorial Hospital.
Acadia Post 15 owned and managed the hospital from 1929 until 1950. At that time, the Post decided that a nonprofit organization should be formed to operate the hospital. As a result, on December 26, 1950, American Legion Hospital was formed.
American Legion Hospital remained on Avenue K for more than 58 years before moving to the hospital’s current location on Crowley Rayne Highway in 1987. In 2014, American Legion Hospital changed its name to Acadia General Hospital to reflect its new long-term management agreement with Lafayette General Health, Acadiana’s largest community-owned, not-for-profit health system.
