Shreveport, LA – CHRISTUS Kids Clinic in Shreveport has completed a significant renovation and expansion, enabling the facility to accommodate more children and offer a wider range of services to the surrounding communities. The clinic, which provides pediatric physical, occupational, and speech-language therapy, now boasts an additional 1,500 to 2,000 square feet, enhancing its ability to serve young patients from birth to 21 years old.
The expansion of the 8,700-square-foot facility comes as a response to the increasing demand for pediatric therapy services in the Shreveport-Bossier area. According to Lisa Hooper, outpatient clinical supervisor of physical medicine and rehabilitation with CHRISTUS Shreveport-Bossier Health System, the clinic has been facing space constraints, leading to wait times for children needing therapy.
“We’ve currently outgrown our space, and this gives us more area to be able to provide more care for our kids who are having to wait to get in,” Hooper said. “We currently have over 35 patients per discipline who we need to get in for therapy. So, there’s a big need in the Shreveport-Bossier area to service these children.”
The clinic, which treats approximately 300 patients weekly, is staffed by a dedicated team of six speech therapists, six physical therapists, and seven occupational therapists and occupational therapist assistants. The expansion will allow the clinic to hire additional therapists, further reducing wait times and increasing access to specialized care.
The project was funded through CHRISTUS Foundation Shreveport-Bossier, with generous donations from the community, including support from Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. Amy Heron, executive director of philanthropy with CHRISTUS Foundation Shreveport-Bossier, emphasized the importance of these contributions in making the expansion possible.
“We take in donations and then match them to the projects that impact patients and families,” Heron explained.
Andrew D’Avy, director of rehabilitation services with CHRISTUS Health Shreveport-Bossier, highlighted the clinic’s advanced services and equipment, noting that the expansion enhances the clinic’s ability to provide top-tier care locally and regionally.
“This clinic offers the most advanced service and equipment locally, even regionally,” D’Avy said. “In our partnership with Children’s Miracle Network, we get funding and grant monies for services, education, and equipment.”
The expansion is not only a crucial development for the local community but also for the broader region, with many families traveling from significant distances to access the clinic’s specialized care.
“We have children who come from two hours away to get their care,” Hooper noted, underscoring the clinic’s importance to the region.
For more information about CHRISTUS Kids Clinic and its services, visit CHRISTUSHealth.org.