1735 On November 16, Jean Louis, a French seaman, bequeaths money to found the first Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana.

1736 On January 21, the hospital’s charter is recorded. On May 10, a house on the corner of Chartres and Bienville Streets becomes the first Charity Hospital building.

1876 The Louisiana Legislature, under Act 40, legally creates the Shreveport Charity
Hospital (LSU Hospital, Shreveport), and the facility opens in a group of log and frame buildings located in what is now downtown Shreveport.

1936 Louisiana creates the State Hospital Board to implement the late Governor Huey
P. Long’s plan to build a chain of charity hospitals throughout the state of Louisiana.

1938 On February 21, Mid-State Charity Hospital (Huey P. Long Medical Center) is formally established in Pineville, Louisiana.

1938 On September 29, Lafayette Charity Hospital (University Medical Center) formally opens in Lafayette, Louisiana.

1939 On August 15, the Florida Parishes Charity Hospital (Lallie Kemp Medical Center) is opened in Independence, Louisiana.

1941 On July 1, Northeast Louisiana Charity Hospital (E.A. Conway Medical Center) opens with a 135-bed capacity in Monroe, Louisiana.

1951 On January 11, Washington-St. Tammany Parish Charity Hospital (Bogalusa Medical Center) opens in Bogalusa, Louisiana.

1958 Lake Charles Charity Hospital (W.O. Moss Regional Medical Center) opens to serve patients from Southwest Louisiana.

1968 On March 1, after construction delays and labor shortages, Earl K. Long Memorial Hospital (Earl K. Long Medical Center) receives patients on a limited basis in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

1970 The Department of Health and Human Resources (renamed the Department of Health and Hospitals) takes control of the Charity Hospital System.

1978 On September 9, South Louisiana Medical Center (Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center) opens in Houma, Louisiana.

1979 On July 1, Louisiana State University (LSU) Medical Center at Shreveport assumes responsibility for the provision of medical services at the E.A. Conway Charity Hospital.

1990 Act 855 creates the Louisiana Health Care Authority (LHCA).

1991 Act 390 transfers the charity hospitals from the Department of Health and Hospitals to LHCA.

1992 On January 1, LHCA officially takes over the operation of the state-owned, acute-care hospitals with the exception of the Louisiana State University Hospital at Shreveport.

1997 On July 1, Act 3 of the Louisiana Legislature authorizes the operation of the
charity hospitals by the LSU System.

2002 On June 24, Washington-St. Tammany Parish Charity Hospital merges with the Bogalusa Community Medical Center to form the Bogalusa Medical Center.

2005 On August 29, Hurricane Katrina hits the Gulf Coast, destroys MCLNO and severely damages Bogalusa Medical Center, Lallie Kemp Medical Center and Leonard J. Chabert Medical Center.

On September 24, Hurricane Rita causes damage to both W.O. Moss Regional Medical Center and University Medical Center and forces them to temporarily cease operations.

Did you know...?
Louisiana has long faced a crisis of access to health care. One response has been the creation of a statewide safety net of public hospitals and clinics in which all citizens are eligible for care regardless of ability to pay.

Did you know...?
Sixty percent of all residents and fellows in Louisiana are assigned and trained in the LSU public hospitals at any one time, and practically all at some time in the course of their training programs.