Rapides Regional Medical Center, an affiliate of the Rapides Healthcare System, LLC, officially handed over the keys to the A.C. Buchanan Allied Health Building in downtown Alexandria to LSU of Alexandria on Thursday.
“We’ve been waiting for this day for a long time,” said LSUA Chancellor Paul Coreil. “I can’t thank Rapides Regional Medical Center and The Rapides Foundation enough for their support of our efforts to grow the healthcare work force in our community.”
LSUA's Allied Health programs have called the building home since 2008. The late A.C. Buchanan was CEO of Rapides Regional Medical Center and a LSUA Foundation board member. LSUA had leased the building from Rapides Regional Medical Center.
“We are honored to present the keys to LSU of Alexandria,” said Rapides Regional Medical Center CEO Vernon Jones. “We recognize their dedication and passion for developing a skilled healthcare workforce in central Louisiana, and we are proud to be their partner in these efforts. Donating the A.C. Buchanan Building is a crucial step in transforming downtown Alexandria into a hub for healthcare education and training for years to come.”
The donation to LSUA is a critical step toward the university developing a vibrant downtown health education campus that also includes a new $40 million addition adjacent to the A.C. Buchanan Allied Health Building. Rapides Regional Medical Center and The Rapides Foundation support LSUA in its endeavors to address the ongoing shortage of skilled healthcare professionals in central Louisiana, significantly enhancing the region’s capacity to provide first-rate patient care.
The new 77,000-square-foot health education building proposed for downtown Alexandria at the corner of Jackson Street and 9th Street will integrate seamlessly with the existing Buchanan Building, becoming the centralized home for all nursing and allied health programs offered by LSUA.
“As an owner of Rapides Regional Medical Center, The Rapides Foundation is pleased to support the hospital’s donation of the A.C. Buchanan Building to LSUA for its use as a new health education center in downtown Alexandria,” said Joe Rosier, President and CEO of The Rapides Foundation. “The center will further help meet the medical manpower needs of the hospital, community, and region, and it represents a continuation of many years of the Foundation’s support of LSUA’s healthcare education programs.”