Nearly one hundred years ago, Dr. John Greene Martin, president of the local medical society, and Monsignor Hubert Cramers, rector of Immaculate Conception Church,  saw a need for a hospital to serve the people of Lake Charles and the surrounding areas. The Congregation of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word responded to that need and built St. Patrick Sanitarium in 1908. Their mission of extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ continues today through the provision of comprehensive health care services across a five-parish region of Southwest Louisiana by CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital.

The hospital is committed to serving the community primarily through its Christian philosophy that Jesus Christ uses us as His instruments of healing in a concrete way that touches others and brings them health in body, mind and spirit.  CHRISTUS St. Patrick provided over $25,000,000 in charity care, grants, and other community benefits just last year.  Here you will find how the hospital serves you specifically through our healing ministry. Reaching beyond the walls of our facility,

• our school-based health centers provide preventive care and medical/social services to over 1,700 children from preschool to 12th grade in at-risk regions of the city.
• the fifth annual Family Health Fair at Prien Lake Mall was held, and we provided over 5,000 screenings to the comminty.
• various community preventive education programs were provided in Southwest Louisiana free of charge, along with support groups, health seminars, and screening programs.
• CHRISTUS St. Patrick’s excellence in patient care was recognized by the American Heart Association as one of only four hospitals in the state of Louisiana to receive the Get With The Guidelines-Coronary Artery Disease Performance Achievement Award. The award recognizes the hospital's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of cardiac care that effectively improves treatment of patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease.
• Additionally, CHRISTUS St. Patrick Associates volunteered countless hours to various local projects.

Yet, for all of the successes today, tomorrow holds many challenges. One of the hospital’s biggest concerns continues to be the rising cost of uncompensated healthcare. With over 40 million uninsured, a significant part of the country’s population is in need of healthcare, but has limited access to services. For example, 15 percent of patients at CHRISTUS St. Patrick are uninsured or underinsured. The hospital must absorb the widening gap between the cost of care giving and the reimbursement provided by government and other payers.

As we move forward, we will see many changes that could affect the cost of medical care. More emphasis will need to be placed on preventive care, education, home health programs and outpatient procedures. CHRISTUS St. Patrick recognizes that it is the right of all Americans to have access to basic healthcare services. Further, these services should be provided in a supportive and humane manner through a system that is cost-efficient.

We look forward to the future with great resources at our disposal—a caring and energetic staff of exceptional medical professionals and the unwavering strength and commitment of the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, based on a tradition and a spirit for health and well-being that is unending.  Extending the healing ministry within our walls and throughout our community continues to be our mission and vision.  Check the Living Well section on the hospital's web-site for the latest on health news and information.

CHRISTUS St. Patrick Hospital and our Associates lend a hand to make it happen everyday.