Expansion plans push more treatment options locally

A year ago CHRISTUS Health Shreveport-Bossier announced plans for a $55 million expansion of the Highland campus which became a launching pad signaling big plans for the health system in Shreveport-Bossier City.

Dr. William Lunn, chief operating officer at CHRISTUS, said he is excited about the future of CHRISTUS not only at the Highland campus, but also the extension of services in the community.

“We have two essential priorities moving forward. First, we are focused on the construction projects on the Highland campus which will allow us to expand our services there, creating a one-stop-shop medical center in south Shreveport,” Lunn said. “Secondly, we are building our capacity in primary and ambulatory care with the goal of caring for people closer to their neighborhoods. Indeed, there is a strong need in our community for primary care physicians. We have already recruited two physicians, Ashal Kilaru, internal medicine and Donna Wyatt, family medicine, are projected to add four more additional primary care physicians in the next year.”

Lunn said the West Wing, the addition to the Highland campus, will be home to the new Cancer Treatment Center, an expanded Birth Place with an adjoining Neonatal Intensive Care, a new Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit, and new outpatient therapy areas.

CHRISTUS construction has started on the Specialty Care Center, located where the former Luby’s restaurant used to be, located at 1505 East Bert Kouns. The Specialty Care Center will house, PET imaging services, the Breast Center and Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine Center. This center is set to open in August.

“With these additions as well as the Specialty Care Center, CHRISTUS Health Shreveport- Bossier will continue to provide the best personalized care in one single location,” Lunn said. “More importantly, completion of the West Wing wing allow us to bring our CHRISTUS family together. All of our associates will be on one campus and will be utilizing the state of the art technology in the apace that they contributed to designing.”

Lunn is also eager for patients to experience the nurturing environment to be created by new landscaping and green space designs at the Highland campus.

“These landscaping plans allow us to extending the healing environment outside the four walls of the hospital room,” Lunn said. “Patients will not only see the sleek design of the new additions, but they will also benefit from renovations throughout the hospital space and continue to receive the high quality, faith based care they have come to expect from CHRISTUS.”

Dr. T. Steen Trawick, regional medical director for CHRISTUS, said he is looking forward to all that is coming with the expansion and additions.

“Patients can look forward to modern updated facilities with state of the art technology and having all services on one campus,” Trawick said. “A building is just that – a building. The doctors will remain the same and the care will remain the same great care, it will just be in a beautiful new place with each existing part of the hospital getting a complete, updated makeover.”

The second part of the plan that was announced last year is to bring care closer to the neighborhoods.

“We are excited to be the first to bring cancer care to the Bossier community and because of this new clinic, we are able to meet the needs of our patients and provide better access and availability to those who live in the Bossier area,” Lunn said.

Cancer Treatment Center-Bossier

Lunn said the future of CHRISTUS is bright as they expand not only at the Highland campus, but also with the addition of outpatient care services in the growing corridors of the greater community.

Above all else, Trawick and Lunn both said the CHRISTUS mission of extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ is what sets this hospital system apart.

“Our mission is not just a bunch of words – it means something to each one of us and to our patients,” Trawick said.

– Betsy St. Amant