75 Years Ago: Homer Pursues Hospital

By Wesley Harris
Claiborne Parish Library Historian

Seventy-five years ago, Homer moved forward with plans to construct its first full-service hospital. A bold move for a small town, the decision has provided Homer and Claiborne Parish with decades of quality health care.

Serious discussion on constructing a hospital in Homer began in 1945 at the close of World War II. Many believed a memorial to military veterans—and those who died in the war—was needed and what better way to honor them than furnishing a much-needed public service to the community. Up until that time, several doctors had operated clinics with a couple of beds for overnight stays, but the closest hospital was 20 minutes away in Haynesville. Those at the southern end of the parish were closer to hospitals in Minden and Ruston, also long drives on post-war roads.

In April 1945, as victory against Germany and Japan seemed imminent, a town hall-style meeting was held to discuss the feasibility of a hospital. Representatives of the Lions club, Jaycees, Junior Chamber of Commerce, American Legion, city officials, and civic-minded citizens met and appointed committees to study the matter. A petition calling for construction of a hospital was completed in June and turned over to city officials.

In October, the Homer Town Council voted to call for an election on the hospital question. The election proposal called for the issuance of $100,000 in bonds to build and equip a hospital owned by the town.

Numerous businesses and individuals sponsored ads in the Homer Guardian-Journal encouraging citizens to vote for the hospital.

One ad read, “Help to build a living memorial to those departed veterans who gave their all that we might live in the full light of the Four Freedoms. Let that Memorial be a living tribute to their memories and their sacrifices and at the same time give their families, friends, and ourselves a better chance to live longer by providing adequate hospitalization at home.”

Arguments in the ad for the hospital included, “Very few doctors are going into practice as a family physician except in towns where there are adequate facilities,” and “Many times, in accidents, the difference of 10 to 15 minutes will save a life.”

The November 20 referendum passed 229 to 22. Only citizens who owned property were permitted to vote.

In 1946, a four-acre tract of land near the American Legion hall and city park was purchased by Homer for $3,000.

By 1947, the Town Council had inspected hospitals in towns similar in size to Homer, including a new facility in Springhill in Webster Parish. An engineer and architect were hired and plans for a 22-bed hospital were drawn.

To relieve the Town Council of direct responsibility of running the hospital, a 25-year lease was arranged with the Louisiana Baptist Convention to manage the facility. The LBC operated several Louisiana hospitals at the time.

The Homer Memorial Hospital opened on July 20, 1949, following a short ceremony. Jesse Bankston, head of the state hospital board, congratulated the citizens of Homer for their cooperation in the undertaking. Dr. W. H. Knight of the Louisiana Baptist Convention executive board noted the new facility was one of the best equipped in the South. After the speakers, Mayor Joe Robertson relinquished ribbon cutting duties to Gaynor Dawson, chairman of the hospital committee. Robertson told the crowd of several hundred people that Dawson was the one who had worked the hardest to make the hospital a reality.

After the brief speeches, nurses served as guides as visitors inspected the hospital, viewing a well-equipped nursery, operating room, kitchen, offices, and patients’ rooms.

The first major expansion to the hospital occurred in 1966. An enlargement in 1973 added twelve private patient rooms, enlarged the nurses’ station, and remodeled the west wing. Fire doors were installed in the corridors. The work was performed by Fairfield Construction of Shreveport for $164,715. Additional expansions over the years added an intensive care unit and specialty clinics.

Now known as the Claiborne Memorial Medical Center, the hospital consists of 47 beds and all the medical services you would expect in a modern primary care facility. The City of Homer still owns the property, but the Claiborne Parish Police Jury oversees operations through an appointed board of directors which hires a chief executive officer. The hospital is funded through a half-cent parish-wide sales tax.

The hospital’s mission statement reflects the thoughts of the forward-thinking citizens who pursued a vision in 1945: “Our mission is to be the cornerstone of healthcare for our community by providing the quality and personalized care we would want for ourselves and our families.”

---

Contributed 2020 Aug 30 by Wesley Harris

---