FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake St. Elizabeth held a ceremonial groundbreaking for a $59 million hospital expansion project that will create more opportunities to provide care close to home for the growing Ascension community.
Healthcare providers, parish officials, civic leaders, care teams, project partners, and community supporters turned out to the hospital on Highway 30 in Gonzales to celebrate the future medical office building that will transform the campus.
“This project signals continued momentum for FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake St. Elizabeth, where generations of families have received care for the last half-century,” said Chuck Spicer, president of FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake. “As Ascension Parish continues to grow, we are growing with you.”
The new three-story 71,000-square-foot building will be home to women’s primary care, cardiology services, and other specialties, all with diagnostic imaging capabilities, as well as outpatient pharmacy and laboratory services. With capacity to accommodate additional services as community needs evolve, this facility creates a foundation for future growth and expanded healthcare offerings.
Care has been put into designing the facility expansion, which will include a new, welcoming facade, a newly designed shared main lobby and second-floor connection that will link the new building to the existing space. The building will also include two new elevators, potential space for retail and coffee kiosks, and expanded campus parking for patients and visitors. Wayfinding and patient reception waiting areas have been designed to ensure easy navigability and a sense of welcome.
The 57-bed acute care hospital in Gonzales, La., currently provides emergency, inpatient, surgical, diagnostic, specialty, and outpatient care and handles about 32,000 emergency room visits a year, while maintaining seven ‘Straight A’ Leapfrog ratings for Patient Safety and Quality. The hospital has served the community for more than 50 years and for more than a quarter-century has served as a part of the FMOL Health system.
Construction began September 2026, with an estimated completion in early 2028.