This story has been revised from an earlier version to correct a misstatement by OLOL officials about the location of a bus stop.
Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center recently demolished the three buildings that sat on the 6-acre site at 6815 Florida Blvd. that will be the home of a new primary and urgent care clinic.
But before construction can begin on the 43,000-square-foot clinic, lawmakers have to give OLOL the OK to begin spending $10 million from the state’s construction budget that has been previously approved for the project but is not yet available.
OLOL officials are hopeful they will get the funding this session, which OLOL will match with $6 million of its own money. Last year, lawmakers included the $10 million allocation in the state’s capital budget, though in Priority 5, which is essentially a promise of funding in future years. This year, the project needs to move up to Priority 1 in order for OLOL to bond out the money and establish a line of credit.
“We were in the books last year and we have a Cooperative Endeavor Agreement with the state (to provide care to the low-income and uninsured populations),” says Jeff Mosely, OLOL’s vice president of facilities. “So we are hopeful. But there are never any guarantees.”
The new clinic, located on the site of the former Brian Harris Jeep dealership, will replace the existing LSU Health Baton Rouge Mid City Clinic at 1401 N. Foster Drive. It will comprise urgent care and primary care facilities, as well as an outpatient pharmacy and outpatient radiology. OLOL officials say the existing facility is outdated and no longer able to provide the state-of-the-art care its patients deserve.
The new location, which is less than two miles from the existing facility, is also more easily accessible from the CATS bus line. To access the existing clinic from the nearest bus stop, patients have to walk a long city block from North Foster and Florida.
“So actually being on Florida will make it so much easier for those patients who have to use public transportation to access the clinic,” says Coletta Barrett, OLOL vice president of mission.
If funding for the project is approved in P1 of the state construction budget, OLOL hopes to put the project out to bid this summer. Construction is expected to take about 12 months and, if all goes well, could potentially begin as soon as late summer, Mosely says.
Meanwhile, construction continues on OLOL’s new North Baton Rouge emergency room. Groundbreaking on the facility began in January, and steel girders recently began emerging from the ground on the site. The 8,000-square-foot facility remains on track for a September opening.
—Stephanie Riegel
