How Hospital Care Is Organised Across Louisiana's 64 Parishes

Louisiana's hospitals range from large academic medical centers in New Orleans to small public hospitals serving a single rural parish. Our database holds 330 hospital records for the state, and the best way to reach any of them depends on where you live. This page explains how the system fits together, so you can pick the right facility before you need one.

Hospitals here are licensed by the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH). Its Health Standards Section issues licenses under the state hospital licensing law in Title 40 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes, and it inspects facilities for compliance. Hospitals that bill Medicare or Medicaid must also meet federal standards, and LDH surveyors check many of those on the federal government's behalf. Many hospitals also hold voluntary accreditation, for example from The Joint Commission. That accreditation is separate from the state license.

One naming quirk matters when you search. Louisiana has parishes, not counties. Our directory labels each parish with the word "County" so that it matches other states. The East Baton Rouge Parish County page, for example, covers East Baton Rouge Parish. The two terms mean the same thing here, so do not be confused if a hospital's own website says "Parish."

Ownership also varies, and it affects billing rules and insurance networks. Nonprofit systems such as Ochsner Health and LCMC Health run many of the large hospitals. Faith-based systems such as CHRISTUS Health operate others, including CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital in Lake Charles. Academic medical programs are tied to LSU Health and Tulane University. Many rural hospitals are run by parish hospital service districts, which are local public bodies. Federal VA medical centers make up a fourth group with their own eligibility rules.

Hospitals in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Lafayette

New Orleans has the largest concentration of listings in the state. Children's Hospital, at 200 Henry Clay Avenue (504-899-9511), is the pediatric anchor for much of south Louisiana. The city's public-hospital story is also well known. Charity Hospital closed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and University Medical Center New Orleans opened in 2015 as the region's main public teaching hospital. If you are searching within the city, start with the Orleans County page.

Just across the parish line, Jefferson Parish adds several large community hospitals. Ochsner Medical Center-West Bank in Gretna (504-371-9355) serves the West Bank. East Jefferson General Hospital at 4200 Houma Boulevard in Metairie (504-454-4000) serves the East Bank. Lake Pines Hospital in Kenner (504-305-2700) is also listed. Browse them together on the Jefferson Parish County page. Many families in the New Orleans area cross parish lines for care, so check more than one page.

Baton Rouge, the state capital, has the second-largest list in our database. Besides general acute-care hospitals, it includes specialty facilities such as Oceans Behavioral Hospital of Baton Rouge at 11135 Florida Boulevard (225-356-7030). Baton Rouge hospitals also draw patients from surrounding parishes and from the River Parishes between the two big cities.

Lafayette is the hub of Acadiana. Acadia Vermilion Hospital on North University Avenue (337-234-5614) is one listing there. Smaller towns nearby have their own facilities. Opelousas General Health System in Opelousas (337-948-3011) and Compass Health in Crowley (337-785-8003) are both in our data. Lafayette-area hospitals are grouped on the Lafayette County page.

Hospitals in North Louisiana, Central Louisiana and the Northshore

In the northwest, Shreveport and Bossier City sit on opposite banks of the Red River and function as one medical market. Overton Brooks VA Medical Center, at 510 East Stoner Avenue in Shreveport (318-221-8411), serves veterans in the region. On the Bossier side, Wk Bossier Health Center at 2400 Hospital Drive (318-212-7000) is listed.

In northeast Louisiana, Monroe and West Monroe face each other across the Ouachita River. Monroe Surgical Hospital (318-410-0002) is on Broadmoor Boulevard. IASIS Healthcare is listed at 503 McMillan Road in West Monroe (318-329-4600). Farther afield, Serenity Springs Specialty Hospital in Ruston (318-202-3860) and Sterlington Rehabilitation Hospital in Bastrop (318-281-4531) show how smaller college and farm towns host specialty services.

Central Louisiana follows a similar river-city pattern. Alexandria and Pineville are neighbors on the Red River. Central Louisiana Surgical Hospital is at 651 North Bolton Avenue in Alexandria (318-443-3511). Alexandria VA Medical Center is at 2495 Shreveport Highway in Pineville (318-473-0010). Northwest of there, Natchitoches Parish Hospital on Keyser Avenue (318-214-4427) serves one of the state's oldest towns.

On the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain, Slidell and Covington have grown quickly. AMG Specialty Hospital Slidell is at 1400 Lindberg Drive (985-326-0440). Fairway Medical Surgical Hospital is at 67252 Industry Lane in Covington (985-809-9888). Further west along I-12, Post Acute Specialty Hospital of Hammond is on Veterans Avenue (985-902-8148). South of there, AMG Specialty Hospital in Houma (985-274-0001) and another AMG Specialty Hospital in Bogalusa (985-732-4402) are listed. Lake Charles in southwest Louisiana is home to CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital (337-436-2511).

Specialty, Rehabilitation and Behavioral Hospitals in Louisiana

A large share of our Louisiana listings are not general hospitals with a walk-in emergency room. Knowing the type saves you a wasted trip. Typical categories in our data include:

Most of these places admit patients by referral or after an assessment, not through a walk-in door. For a medical emergency, call 911 and go to the nearest full-service emergency department. For a mental health crisis, you can also call or text 988.

What to Bring and When to Go

Preparation matters more in rural parishes, where the nearest hospital can be a long drive. Before any non-emergency visit, call the number listed on the hospital's page and confirm the service you need. Then gather these items:

Go to an emergency department for chest pain, stroke symptoms, serious injuries or difficulty breathing. Use urgent care or your doctor for minor problems. Federal law requires hospitals with emergency departments to screen and stabilize anyone who arrives, regardless of ability to pay.

Hospitals across Louisiana provide a full range of medical services from emergency and trauma care to specialized treatment programs, with public and nonprofit facilities playing a particularly important role in serving uninsured and rural populations throughout the state.

Hospitals locations are available in 98 cities across Louisiana. They are spread across 59 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, which serve as major medical centers with academic teaching hospitals, trauma centers, and specialized treatment facilities for the surrounding region.

Residents of Louisiana should know their nearest emergency room location before a medical crisis occurs, and should check their insurance network to understand which hospitals in the state are covered under their plan.

Hospitals by Counties

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Residents of Louisiana who face large hospital bills should ask about financial assistance programs before the bill goes to collections. Most hospitals are required to notify patients about charity care options, and applications can often be submitted months after a visit.

Browse Hospitals by county across Louisiana to find the nearest location.

Hurricane Season, Rural Access and Paying for Care in Louisiana

Hurricanes shape hospital planning in Louisiana more than in most states. Katrina in 2005 closed major New Orleans hospitals for years, and Hurricane Laura in 2020 disrupted hospital operations in the Lake Charles area. Coastal and low-lying parishes now plan for evacuations, backup power and patient transfers every season. If you rely on dialysis, oxygen or regular infusions, ask your provider early how they handle storms, and keep a few days of medication on hand from June through November.

Rural access is the other defining issue. Many small parishes depend on a single hospital, often a federally designated Critical Access Hospital with no more than 25 beds. These hospitals stabilize patients and send complex cases to regional centers in Shreveport, Alexandria, Lafayette, Baton Rouge or New Orleans. The Louisiana Emergency Response Network helps direct trauma, stroke and heart patients to suitable hospitals, which is not always the closest one.

Costs deserve a plan too. Louisiana expanded Medicaid in 2016, and many working adults who once lacked coverage now qualify. Hospitals must also post their standard prices online under federal rules. In the north shore market, compare listings on the St. Tammany County page, and for the Red River corridor see the Caddo Parish County page. Phone numbers and addresses can change, so call ahead to confirm.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hospitals in Louisiana

The Louisiana Department of Health licenses hospitals through its Health Standards Section. That office reviews applications, conducts surveys and investigates complaints. Hospitals that take Medicare or Medicaid must also meet federal conditions of participation, and state surveyors often perform those inspections for the federal government. Many hospitals add voluntary accreditation, such as The Joint Commission. VA medical centers, including those in Shreveport and Pineville, are federal facilities and are not licensed by the state. You can ask any hospital to confirm its license status and accreditation.

Start by asking the billing office for an itemized bill and a copy of the hospital's financial assistance policy. Nonprofit hospitals are required by federal rules to have one. Next, check whether you qualify for Medicaid, which Louisiana expanded in 2016 to cover many low-income adults. Applications go through the Louisiana Department of Health. Emergency care cannot be refused because of inability to pay, and the federal No Surprises Act limits unexpected out-of-network bills for emergencies. Ask about payment plans before the account goes to collections.

Call 911 rather than driving yourself. Dispatchers and paramedics work within the Louisiana Emergency Response Network, which helps match patients to hospitals able to treat trauma, stroke or heart attacks. The best-equipped hospital may be farther than the nearest one. Major trauma care is concentrated in cities such as New Orleans and Shreveport, including University Medical Center New Orleans and Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport. Rural hospitals usually stabilize patients first, then transfer them by ground or air ambulance to a regional center.

Our database lists Overton Brooks VA Medical Center at 510 East Stoner Avenue in Shreveport (318-221-8411) and Alexandria VA Medical Center at 2495 Shreveport Highway in Pineville (318-473-0010). The Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System serves the New Orleans area. You generally need to enroll in VA health care before routine treatment, so bring your discharge papers. If you receive emergency care at a non-VA hospital, the VA asks that you notify it within 72 hours to help with coverage.

Talk to your provider before storm season about evacuation and transfer plans. Hospitals in coastal parishes sometimes move patients ahead of a storm, and a facility may close or limit services temporarily afterward. Keep at least several days of medication, copies of your prescriptions and insurance cards, and a list of your diagnoses in a waterproof bag. If you use oxygen or dialysis, ask where to go if power fails. Call a facility before you travel, because services may change during an emergency.

Contact the hospital's health information management or medical records department, and ask for its request form. Federal HIPAA rules give you a right to your records, and the hospital generally must respond within 30 days. You will usually need photo ID and a signed authorization, especially if someone else is requesting the records for you. A reasonable fee may apply for copies. Many systems offer patient portals for faster access. If a hospital has closed or changed owners, ask the former operator or the Health Standards Section who now holds the records.