Church Point, LA — [03/16/2026] Acadia St. Landry Hospital (ASLH) has officially submitted its application to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) seeking financing to construct a new, state-of-the-art hospital facility in Church Point. The submission represents a major milestone in the hospital’s long-term effort to strengthen and protect healthcare access for residents of rural Acadia and St. Landry Parishes.
The application follows more than three years of strategic work focused on stabilizing hospital operations, improving financial performance, and ensuring the organization’s long-term sustainability before pursuing a major capital project.
ASLH Chief Executive Officer Michael J. LeJeune, along with the hospital’s leadership team, has been advancing the initiative since he assumed leadership of the hospital in 2022.
“Building a new hospital is no small undertaking,” said LeJeune. “If we are going to move forward with a multi-million-dollar facility, it is critical that every step is done correctly. Our focus has been on designing a hospital that meets the current healthcare needs of our community, allows for future growth, and remains financially responsible.”
As part of the USDA application process, the hospital successfully completed two required independent financial feasibility analyses. The first was conducted by Stroudwater and the second by Eide Bailly. Both studies confirmed the hospital’s improved financial position over the last 3 years and supported the long-term viability of investing in a new, modern healthcare facility.
Hospital leadership emphasized that strengthening the organization financially and operationally was a necessary first step before pursuing a project of this magnitude.
“This moment represents years of hard work and commitment from our staff, leadership team, board, and community partners,” LeJeune said. “Before pursuing a project like this, we knew we had to focus on improving our current operations and finances to make sure building a new hospital would be a responsible decision for the future of healthcare in our community.”
The hospital has worked closely with Grace Designs, formerly Grace Hebert Curtis Architects, under the direction of Barry Lann, to develop the design for the proposed facility. The design process has been a collaborative effort focused on creating a hospital capable of delivering essential services today while allowing for expansion as the region grows.
Over the past year, the hospital has made substantial progress toward this goal. After receiving approval from the USDA to utilize the Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) project delivery method, Acadia St. Landry Hospital completed the required selection process and ultimately selected LEMOINE to serve as the project’s construction manager. “Projects like this are about more than buildings, they’re about ensuring communities have reliable access to quality healthcare close to home,” said Wills Hover, Vice President of Healthcare at LEMOINE. “We’re honored to work alongside Acadia St. Landry Hospital and the project team to help deliver a modern healthcare facility that will serve patients and families across the region for generations to come.”
Since that time, Acadia St. Landry Hospital, Grace Designs, and Lemoine have worked collaboratively on the design of the new hospital facility. The project has successfully completed both the 30 percent and 60 percent design development phases, which were submitted as part of the overall project planning and financial forecasting process.
To ensure the project’s long-term viability, two independent financial feasibility studies were conducted by Stroudwater & Associates and Eide Bailly. Both analyses recommended moving forward with replacement of the current hospital facility.
In addition, all required external studies related to the project site have been completed. These include environmental reviews coordinated with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), traffic and infrastructure assessments conducted with the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LA DOTD) related to the proposed site and Highway 35, as well as civil engineering evaluations of site topography, drainage, and sewer infrastructure.
The hospital also reengaged Mike Taylor of MBT Services to assist in assembling and finalizing the USDA application package. The completed application was formally submitted to the USDA by Steven Nosacka of Trinity Capital Resources, LLC, who serves as the project’s financial consultant.
“The submission of this application represents a significant milestone for Acadia St. Landry Hospital and the communities it serves,” said Nosacka. “Projects like this require extensive planning, financial discipline, and collaboration. The work completed by the hospital over the past several years has positioned the organization well as the USDA begins its review process.”
If approved, the new hospital facility would allow Acadia St. Landry Hospital to modernize its infrastructure, expand patient care capabilities, and better support physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals serving the region.
ASLH Director of Nursing, Garrett Higginbotham noted that the project is ultimately about protecting access to rural healthcare. “Rural communities across America are losing hospitals every year,” Higginbotham said. “Our goal has been the opposite, to build something stronger for the future. Submitting this application is a major step toward ensuring that families in our community will continue to have access to quality healthcare near their homes.”
The USDA will now conduct a comprehensive review of the application and supporting documentation to determine whether the project will be approved for financing. Should approval be granted, the next steps would include presentations to both the Acadia Parish Police Jury and the St. Landry Parish Government to request authorization related to the project.
Hospital leadership emphasized that while the review process will take time, the submission represents an important step forward in a long-term vision for healthcare in the region.
Additional updates will be shared with the community as the USDA evaluation process progresses.