Avail Hospital in Lake Charles to close on Sept. 29

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Avail Hospital in Lake Charles has announced that it will permanently close its doors, effective September 29, 2023.

The Hospital recently placed an ad informing patients about the closure and an employee confirmed over the phone that while the hospital is currently open they will be closing on Friday. There has been no word regarding the reason for the closure.

Avail Hospital, located on Nelson Road, has only been open since December of 2017.

Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter released the following statement:

We are disappointed to learn of the closure of Avail Hospital, but this closure speaks more of the viability of a for-profit hospital model than it does of the Lake Charles economy. Since its opening, Avail has operated as a for-profit entity, which is different from other local hospitals.

I have personally spoken with the administrations of Lake Charles Memorial Health System and CHRISTUS Ochsner Health SWLA, and they have both committed to reaching out to Avail personnel regarding employment opportunities. I am confident, that should these former Avail employees choose to seek employment through one of these other providers, these jobs can be absorbed by our larger healthcare community.

Moving forward, we hope to see the building utilized in some fashion in the near future.

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