WALKER - A $5 million expansion is coming to Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Livingston.

The hospital hosted an open house and a new construction blessing on Tuesday, where it offered tours and information about additional investments coming to the community.

The new expansion, a 10-bed overnight observation unit, plans to serve about 3,600 patients each year. 

"In the past, when a patient would come to our emergency room if their care needed to be elevated, they would have to get transferred, which is an ambulance ride, to a regional center in Baton Rouge," Regional Chief Operating Officer Ben Schuler said. "What that does is it adds time and cost to the patient."

The expansion unit is expected to be completed in the spring of 2026.