The Southwest Louisiana Office of Public Health (Region 5) recently hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the grand opening of its new Calcasieu Parish Health Unit satellite clinic in Sulphur.

Located at 703 Cypress St., Suite B, the clinic is now connected with West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital (WCCH) and is within walking distance of many other Sulphur healthcare providers. The Sulphur clinic is also connected to the WCCH Community Health Center, which accepts all patients including those with Medicaid, Medicare, or with or without insurance.

Region 5 Medical Director Dr. Lacey Cavanaugh said the proximity to other care providers will provide a more holistic approach to patient care, and also noted the collaboration between WCCH, the Office of Public Health and the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury.

“This would not be possible without solid partnerships between all these organizations,” Dr. Cavanaugh said.

District 15 Police Juror Tony Tramonte said the new location was a “win-win” for all as the Police Jury was able to save taxpayers about $2 million in potential renovations to the previous location. The former facility on Edgar Street was originally constructed in the 1950s, last renovated in the 1990s and suffered considerable damage from Hurricane Laura. Moving the clinic to Cypress Street saved taxpayers from the cost of bringing that building up to modern healthcare standards.

Some of the services the Sulphur clinic provides include:

• Women, Infants, & Children (WIC): WIC provides mothers with funds to pay for healthy WIC-approved foods in participating grocery stores. WIC also provides breastfeeding help, information for new moms, healthy recipes, and connections to other health and social services.
• Reproductive health: Men, women, teens and families can receive confidential reproductive health services. Students are eligible for free services with a student ID.
• Family planning: Counseling is available for individuals to help them determine the number and spacing of their children.

Members of the community may schedule an appointment by calling either the Sulphur clinic at 337-527-6361 or the main Calcasieu Parish Health Unit in Lake Charles at 337-478-6020.