Lafayette General Medical Center evolved from the Lafayette Sanitarium, the first hospital in Lafayette. The Sanitarium was founded in 1911 by Doctors L. O. Clark, J. Franklin Mouton, and L. A. Prejean. It was located on St. John Street and had five or six beds. Dr. Charles E. Hamilton became a partner in 1920.

Over the years the hospital expanded to 84 beds, but by the 1950s the facilities were inadequate and there was no space to expand. Maurice Heymann donated seven acres of land in the Oil Center, and funds were secured from local donors and the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to build a new facility. The hospital was renamed Lafayette General Hospital, and the new seven-story, 200-bed facility opened in 1965. Dr. John J. Burdin, Jr. worked at the hospital starting in 1976, becoming President and CEO in 1995 until 2001.

Today, known as Lafayette General Medical Center, the hospital is Acadiana’s largest non-profit, community-owned regional health system, committed to always delivering excellence. The system has over 4,000 employees, serving the south-central region of Louisiana by aligning with facilities across Acadiana. Lafayette General Medical Center is a founding member of the Oschner Health Network.