Lafayette General Hospital evolved from the Lafayette Sanitarium, the first hospital in Lafayette. The Sanitarium was founded in 1911 by Doctors L.O. Clark, J. Franklin Mouton, and L.A. Prejean. It was located on St. John Street and had five or six beds, eventually expanding to 84 beds.

By the 1950s the facilities were inadequate and there was no room to expand. Maurice Heymann donated seven acres of land in the Oil Center, and funds were secured from local donors and the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to build a new facility.

The hospital was renamed Lafayette General Hospital, and the new seven-story, 200-bed facility opened in 1965.

Today, known as Lafayette General Health, the system is Acadiana’s largest non-profit, community-owned regional health system. The system has over 4,500 employees, serving the south-central region of Louisiana by aligning with facilities across Acadiana. Lafayette General Health is a founding member of the Oschner Health Network.

Information for this historical information was derived from Bin 406 of UL – Lafayette Library’s Archives & Manuscripts.