Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center has acquired the long-vacant property at 6815 Florida Blvd. that previously housed Brian Harris Jeep, and has preliminary plans to develop a neighborhood clinic on the site.
In a deal that closed earlier this week, OLOL acquired the six-acre parcel, which is located between North Ardenwood Drive and North Donmoor Avenue, for $750,000.
A hospital spokesperson says plans for the clinic are still in the very early stages so no details are available. However, the hospital issued a statement noting the increasingly valuable role neighborhood clinics play in providing care to the community.
“Patients have responded to the availability of neighborhood clinics and urgent care in our community, using these locations for nonemergency walk-in care as opposed to local ERs,” says CEO Scott Wester in the statement. “The Florida Boulevard property is ideal and helps us create additional access to care in a new, modern, and efficient-design environment.”
OLOL, through its subsidiary LSU Health Baton Rouge, is the state’s partner hospital to provide care to the indigent and uninsured in the Capital Region. It currently has five clinic and urgent care locations, including the North Clinic and Urgent Care on Airline Highway adjacent to the old Earl K. Long Charity Hospital, and the MidCity Clinic, Urgent Care and Pharmacy on North Foster Drive.
The Florida Boulevard location is less than two miles from the MidCity Clinic. It is unclear whether OLOL would replace the MidCity clinic with the newer facility on Florida Boulevard or continue to operate them both. A hospital spokeswoman says hospital officials are evaluating the options.
—Stephanie Riegel
