Continuing improvements in healthcare mean a need for improvement in healthcare facilities. That thought is not lost on principles involved in the Allen Parish Community Healthcare Hospital. They have just announced plans to begin a multi-phase construction project that will bring a seriously needed upgrade to healthcare in their community.

The construction on Phase 1 of the multi-phase project is set to begin later this summer. Those close to the project predict construction will take about five years to complete. The first phase of the project comes with a price tag of $13 million dollars, so you can see this is not a small undertaking at all.

CEO Jaqueline Reviel told KPLC Television,

We’re really in need of a new hospital. It’s outdated, it’s not up to code...we really need a replacement hospital at this point in time.

When asked what kinds of improvements the new facility will bring to the area Reviel told KPLC,

It will add surgical services, a new ER, new lobby, imaging, lab, and pharmacy will all be in that phase one project.

This is very exciting because surgical services in the area have not been available for about a decade.

The Allen Parish Community Healthcare Hospital is a cornerstone for healthcare in the mostly rural parish. The hospital serves about a 45-mile area where there are no other hospitals. Hospital officials estimate their facility serves in excess of 25,000 people.

The cost of the entire project is estimated to be anywhere from 28 to 35 million dollars. Construction is expected to begin later this summer. As someone who grew up in a rural area, I can tell you first-hand access to quality healthcare in rural areas and small towns is an issue.

Kudos to the Allen Parish Community Healthcare Hospital team for pushing through the red tape, the COVID-19 restrictions, and the other issues they had to work through to secure funding and approval for this project. If rural America is the backbone of our country, we've got to do our part to keep it healthy.

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