TGMC celebrates 50 years of excellence!

Fifty years ago, you could get a loaf of bread for 17 cents at the A&P. A gallon of milk would cost you 92 cents at Ciro’s Supermarket. People shopped at DuPont’s Department Store downtown and ate hamburgers and french fries at the Best-
O-Burger. And on Main Street, a new hospital opened its doors that year. Terrebonne General Hospital had 76 beds, and a staff of fewer than 80.

Much has changed since 1954. Terrebonne General Hospital is now Terrebonne General Medical Center, with 281 beds and a reputation as Southeast Louisiana’s leading health-care provider.

History of health care prior to TGMC
In 1923, a physician named Dr. Prentiss Parker moved to Houma and opened a practice. It did not take long to realize that Houma needed a place for the very sick to be taken care of. In 1926, Dr. Parker purchased a building and property at 312 School Street and, after many renovations, opened the first real hospital in Houma. After two years, due to a down economy, the hospital closed and Dr. Parker returned to Tennessee.

Additional hospital services were afforded to the people of Houma by Dr. H.L. Haydel who, for a short while during the 1930s, opened a clinic with several hospital beds at the corner
of Barrow Street and Verret Street. In 1935, two cousins, Drs. Willard and Stephen Ellender, opened the first private hospital — Ellender Memorial Hospital at 221 East Park Avenue. This 27-bed hospital was immediately a huge success due to the growth of Houma and the increasing need for health care. As the operations of Ellender Memorial grew, the community realized the need for a larger community hospital, and the vision of Terrebonne General Hospital was born. In 1952, ground was broken and on July 1, 1954, the hospital opened to serve the community. There were 76 beds, 20 bassinets, 130 employees and 12 physicians on active staff.

The hospital was owned by the parish, leased to the Sisters of St. Joseph and governed by a board composed of the Sisters. The first hospital Administrator was Mother Marie Blanche, and each department was supervised by one of the nine Sisters. The first Chief of Staff was Dr. Willard Ellender.

Growth throughout the Years
By the end of 1955, the population had grown and a need for additional beds was established. The medical staff had doubled to 21 and the economy was booming. In 1960, the Sisters constructed an annex building as a residence and opened an additional 24 beds in the hospital, increasing bed capacity to 100. An addition in 1964 added another 86 beds, ancillary services and a new cafeteria. At this time, there were 29 physicians and 300 employees.

In the ’70s, the population of Terrebonne Parish continued to grow, and the need for a state-of-the-art hospital was recognized. The medical staff had grown to 59 physicians and 619 employees.

In July 1979, the Sisters decided that their Order could no longer operate the hospital. Therefore, Hospital Service District #1 was established and the Police Jury appointed
a Board of Commissioners. Jerry Villarrubia was the Administrator and Dr. William Marmande was Chief of Staff.

In 1981, a groundbreaking ceremony was held and the new Medical Center was becoming a reality. A 228-bed facility was constructed, and Alex Smith was Administrator and Dr. Robert Cazayoux Sr. was Chief of Staff. At this time, there were 64 physicians on staff, 694 employees and 11,000 admissions annually. The new hospital opened in 1984.

Over the past 20 years, many changes and advancements have taken place. Terrebonne Parish continues to grow, with a population of more than 100,000. There are now over 160 active medical staff members, as well as 1,200 employees and more than 13,000 admissions annually. Currently, Mrs. Phyllis Peoples serves as CEO and President, and Dr. Charles Ledoux serves as Chief of Staff.

Excellence in technology
As the community continues to grow, so does the need for access to medical care. With technological advancements, TGMC has remained progressive to meet the needs of the community. No other hospital has made such impressive strides in offering revolutionary, lifesaving technology to its community than Terrebonne General.

Today, TGMC keeps growing, and we are extremely proud of our accomplishments in advancing the field of medicine for all. Just as important, however, is the fact that we have never lost sight of our original goal: to preserve our culture through providing high-quality care to you and your loved ones.

Without your support, our remarkable accomplishments would have been impossible. From everyone here at your Terrebonne General Medical Center, THANK YOU!