Allen Parish Community Healthcare is located in Kinder. (Special to the American Press)

Allen Parish Community Healthcare announced a $4.2 million expansion project on Thursday, part of an ongoing initiative to upgrade and expand rural healthcare services.

Chief Executive Officer Jackie Reviel said the expansions will improve patient care and access to healthcare services in Allen Parish and surrounding rural areas. The expansion will also help attract more physicians and healthcare staff to the region, she said.

“Rural communities are often underserved, and we are committed to promoting access to healthcare for our residents,” Reviel said. “Our goal is to continue to be able to provide healthcare services to rural communities, giving individuals access to healthcare and specialists they haven’t had for quite some time. They will no longer need to travel for their healthcare needs, as all primary care will be available here.”

She also expressed her excitement about residents having the option to receive care within their community, calling it “life-changing for those folks.”

“They can have all their procedures done here without having to go out of town,” Reviel said. “We have people from Kinder that were driving to Lake Charles that are now returning here for care, and we have people from surrounding areas like Jeff Davis also receiving care locally.”

The expansion follows the opening of a new emergency department and outpatient services in November 2024.

The new expansion will feature a two-story tower building with a 25-bed medical surgical unit on the second floor, and a 24-bed behavior health unit on the first floor, along with other ancillary services. Plans also include cardiopulmonary facilities, a dietary cafeteria, central supply, and biomed services.

The hospital is seeking financing for the project through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Community Facilities Program, supplemented by a local bank loan.

If awarded, construction on the new tower is expected to begin by early 2027 and be completed by mid-2028.

“Having a hospital in the community tells the surrounding population that this community is thriving, which in turn brings in other businesses and industries to the community,” she said. “So it’s huge for this town.”

The hospital completed the first phase of its ongoing expansion and upgrade project last November, which included a new emergency department, trauma rooms and related services.

The new facility includes an expanded emergency department with a triage room and two operating rooms, modern surgical suites, a GI suite for endoscopy procedures, advanced labs and a radiology department with state-of-the-art mammogram machines, as well as a new lobby and entryway connecting it to the existing hospital.

Since expansion opened, Reviel said the hospital has seen significant growth. She said the hospital has performed over 350 general surgeries and 400 mammograms, including its first breast biopsy this week. Additionally, emergency room patient visits have increased from about 400 patients to 550.

In 2023, a rural health clinic was also opened adjacent to the hospital. A rural health clinic was also recently opened in Reeves.

Looking ahead, future plans include a new medical official building and expanding the rural health clinic to include more exam rooms and physical spaces.

“I didn’t have any idea that there would be that much need in this community,” Reviel said. “It’s a really cool thing to have that much need for a hospital or healthcare services in the community.”

The hospital is also working to add new services such as dialysis, endocrinology, urology, pediatrics and pulmonology, and is exploring the addition of dental and vision care, along with a retail pharmacy.

The hospital originally opened in 1969.