BRF (Building Our Regions Future) 

BRF oversees seven divisions that specialize in a wide range of focus; healthcare, research and development, digital media and technology, as well as a variety of entrepreneurial and workforce programs that are designed to diversify and advance the Northwest Louisiana economy.  BRF’s healthcare-specific divisions are:

ORDA (Office of Research Development and Administration)

The Office of Research Development and Administration aims to develop our region into a bioscience research hub by creating research partnerships between entities, awarding grants and expanding public knowledge about the powerful effect of clinical research.

CMIT (Center for Molecular Imaging and Therapy)

The Center for Molecular Imaging and Therapy transforms the way doctors discover and treat diseases. The Center hosts host advanced clinical trials, offers cutting-edge healthcare solutions for patients and provides research opportunities for scientists. It also produces and distributes radiopharmaceuticals used for the speedy detection and monitoring of medical conditions.

Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport

Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport’s intent is to grow Medical and Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs at both Ochsner and LSU Health Shreveport to recruit top candidates and train more healthcare providers, and through our combined research programs, have an even greater impact on the future of healthcare in our state and nation.

This partnership will expand the medical school in Shreveport from 126 to 150 students annually. The partnership will also provide the stability and the opportunity to invest in new technology and clinical care training that will strengthen recruiting and help make this a top-tier program in the region.

Between the 570 residents at LSU and the more than 500 at Ochsner, the system will be the largest educator of physicians in the state. We will also expand GME programs between LSU and Ochsner in Family Medicine, Nuclear Medicine, Pathology and Physical Medicine and Rehab. We will coordinate with nursing schools in north Louisiana and LSU Health-Shreveport’s allied health programs to better support the state’s healthcare workforce demand.

The combined research program will provide the ability to conduct clinical trials at Ochsner LSU Health System of North Louisiana and Ochsner, along with the opportunity to attract new funding to make these trials more accessible to more patients across Louisiana.

LSU Health Shreveport

Our health sciences center is home to the School of Medicine, School of Graduate Studies and School of Allied Health Professions. More than 800 students are enrolled in the degree programs at any one time. Additionally, nearly 600 residents and fellows are trained each year.

 

We are proud of our state-designated Centers of Excellence in cancer, cardiovascular disease and rheumatology.

 

At the heart of it all is a strong faculty that includes a number of nationally and internationally-acclaimed physicians and scientists. More than 600-strong, they lead our research efforts, educate our students and provide primary and specialty care to patients throughout the region.

Patient care and training take place at four partner hospitals: University Health, Willis-Knighton, Shriners Children’s Hospital, and the Overton Brooks Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Students and residents also rotate through rural hospitals and clinics in the region. University Health operates our teaching hospitals and clinics in Shreveport and Monroe, which include the area’s only Level 1 Trauma Center and the Feist-Weiller Cancer.

LSU Health Shreveport has strong community support. The LSU Health Sciences Foundation raises money for campus initiatives. Educational partnerships include an MD/PhD program with Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, a Master of Public Health program with LSU Shreveport and joint Respiratory Therapy program with Bossier Parish Community College and two community colleges.

CHRISTUS Health Shreveport-Bossier

CHRISTUS Health Shreveport-Bossier is a Catholic, nonprofit system owned and operated by CHRISTUS Health, Dallas, Texas. We’ve provided high-quality, cost-effective care since 1894.

The CHRISTUS Health Shreveport-Bossier staff includes more than 600 physicians, 1,800 employees and 200 volunteers. Our areas of specialty include cardiovascular services, oncology, orthopedic and neurological services, primary care medicine, surgical services, and women’s and children’s services.

CHRISTUS Health Shreveport-Bossier’s areas of specialty include cardiovascular services, oncology, orthopedic and neurological services, primary care and medicine, surgical services, and women’s and children’s services. CHRISTUS Health Shreveport-Bossier continues its long, proud tradition of providing the community and surrounding areas with the latest state-of-the-art technology combined with the best possible hands-on care.

For more than 100 years, CHRISTUS Health Shreveport-Bossier and the Sisters of Charity have been committed to meeting the unanswered needs of the communities they serve. CHRISTUS Health’s strong commitment to mission work and community service is evident in all its work.

CHRISTUS Bossier
• Short Stay Hospital
• Micro Hospital/Emergency Center

CHRISTUS Highland Medical Center
• 160 Beds
• Acute Care Facility

Overton Brooks VA Medical Center

Overton Brooks VA Medical Center (OBVAMC) consists of one Veterans Health Administration (VHA) tertiary care facility and three (3) Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) serving Veterans in fifteen (15) Louisiana parishes, five (5) counties in Southern Arkansas and ten (10) counties in East Texas. The medical center is classified as a Clinical Referral Level 1C Facility and accepts referrals from the Southeast Louisiana Veterans Healthcare System and the Alexandria VA Health Science Center.

OBVAMC serves over 37,000 Veterans per year. The hospital is accredited for 111 inpatient beds and provides over 462,000 outpatient visits per year. The medical center has an active accredited research program and is one of the regional sites for VISN 16 Hematology/Oncology Center. The medical center manages three (3) CBOCs in Monroe, Louisiana; Longview, Texas; and Texarkana, Arkansas.

Comprehensive health care is provided through primary and specialty care in the areas of Medicine, Surgery, Psychiatry, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Neurology, Oncology, Dentistry and Geriatrics. Overton Brooks is a teaching hospital, providing a complete range of patient care services, with state-of-the-art technology, as well as education and research and is affiliated with Louisiana State University School of Medicine in Shreveport, State University Health Science Center and many allied health schools and universities. The medical center also works collaboratively with the 2nd Medical Group at Barksdale Air Force Base and is a primary receiving center for military casualties in the VA/DoD Contingency Plan. OBVAMC is also Federal Coordinating Center (FCC) for the National Disaster Medical System.

Willis-Knighton Health System

• Only locally owned, locally operated not-for-profit health system in Shreveport-Bossier
• Four locations, including a retirement community and a full range of support services
• Accredited by The Joint Commission
• Areas of specialty include Cancer, Cardiology and Heart Surgery, Diabetes and Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Geriatrics, Gynecology, Nephrology, Neurology and Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology and Urology.
• Ranked #2 in Louisiana and is recognized among the Best Hospitals in Northwestern Louisiana

Willis-Knighton Medical Center Bossier
• 166 Beds
• Acute Care Facility

Willis-Knighton Medical Center Pierremont
• 206 Beds
• Acute Care Facility

Willis-Knighton Medical Center Shreveport
• 344 Beds
• Acute Care Facility

Willis-Knighton Medical Center South & Center
for Women’s Health
• 152 Beds
• Acute Care Facility

Shriner’s Hospital for Children

As the first hospital established in the Shriners Hospitals for Children system, the Shreveport Shriners Hospital serves as the landmark hospital of a system that has helped transform the delivery of health care for children with orthopedic conditions, burn injuries, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate.

• 45 Beds
• Pediatric Orthopedic & Neuromusculoskeletal Facility