Imagine being in the emergency room hemorrhaging with multiple broken bones after an accident – unstable and in need of immediate care. Dr. Mark Guidry uses a medical analogy to describe the state of the Outpatient Medical Center (OMC) when he was called to help in September 2019.
A recent dedication of a new addition to OMC’s Natchitoches Clinic brought forth memories of its journey to recovery.
He was planning a move to Shreveport for another position, when Board President Thomas Roque called for help. Guidry confesses he has “a disease” where he can’t say no to helping the underserved.
He found the organization in a life-threatening situation with many patients in need of health services. Additionally, critical operational pieces were missing, creating an unsafe and non-compliant healthcare environment.
Furthermore, the COVID pandemic added salt to the wound, creating an almost impossible situation with the additional challenges faced by healthcare entities throughout the world.
Guidry’s main concern was the health of the patients. While the clinic serves everyone, it has a special calling to help low-income people in areas having the highest poverty rates in Louisiana. Without the clinic, patients would suffer and impact area hospitals and emergency rooms.
Building a team brought more challenges. For some, working in an unstable environment wasn’t a match. For others, they embraced the challenge and were instrumental to the journey. Guidry called the latter group his “Helping Hands,” and there were many helping hands who wanted to see the special clinic recover.
The first ‘Helping Hand’ was instrumental to repairing the organization’s deep financial problems. When needed most, an acquaintance in Shreveport unexpectedly reached out asking, “How can I help?” Cynthia Harris joined efforts to mend the deep financial ailments. Guidry and Harris worked evenings and weekends for many years.
Among many repair efforts, OMC needed to co-locate its Natchitoches staff to manage its recovery. A construction grant brought hope to unify the OMC team. In June 2021, the grant was unanimously approved by the Board, and OMC was awarded $589,056 to build a new addition.
Eventually, Rhodes Construction was awarded the contract. In December 2024, the new addition was completed, and staff began to move in, freeing up space for future growth.
Another Godsend was the discovery of unused federal funds from prior leadership. It was the best lifeline OMC could have received at the perfect time. After many years working on folding tables for desks, OMC was finally able to buy new furniture as well as new exam room equipment, a digital sign, improved security, and much more.
These unexpected blessings, along with dramatic quality of care improvements, made OMC “new.” The New OMC, after nearly 50 years of serving others, is now fully recovered and ready for a promising future!
As he approaches retirement, Dr. Guidry, also a catholic deacon, concludes, “God makes the impossible, possible. Through Him, we encounter the Lord in the face of the sick and suffering.” That’s the calling.
