History

Before the police juries in Calcasieu and Cameron parishes first created a Hospital Service District in the early 1950’s, individuals residing west of the Calcasieu River who couldn’t be treated in doctor’s offices had to be sent to Lake Charles or Houston for health care. Rather than continue to travel outside of the area for care, early visionaries met with the Calcasieu and Cameron Parish Police Juries to advocate the formation of the Calcasieu Cameron Hospital Service District, known today as West Calcasieu Cameron Hospital (WCCH).

WCCH opened in 1953, and what began as a small 50-bed hospital built to answer the needs of the fast-growing population in the post-World War II decades, has grown to a 107-bed cornerstone of the community. In 2006, voters in west Calcasieu and a portion of Cameron Parish approved a $25 million dollar bond issue, allowing the hospital to construct a new facility and purchase capital equipment. The new 50,000 square feet facility opened in 2010 and houses a new admissions department, cardiac catheterization laboratory, intensive care unit, radiology department, respiratory therapy department, and ambulatory preadmissions treatment center. 

Today, WCCH has made it more convenient than ever to receive the most advanced health care through its continued investments in technology and infrastructure. Its strong history is rooted in the many physicians that helped make local health care delivery a reality long ago. Members of the first Medical staff included Dr. Neal D. Blanchard, Dr. W. F. Brooks, Dr. J.B. Colligan, Dr. Charles Fellows, Dr. A.H. Foreman, Dr. James B. Hodge, Jr., Dr. Frank La Barbera, Dr. A.H. LaFargue, Dr. Kyle Lyons, Dr. Robert B. Marshall, Dr. W.A.K. Seale and Dr. J.W. Swafford.