Mansfield, LA A groundbreaking ceremony will be held Monday, February 25, 2008, at 12:30 p.m. on the west lawn of DeSoto Regional Health System. The ceremony will mark the beginning of construction on the Jefferson Street Entrance Façade Project. The public is invited to attend.

The completed project will feature a new driveway and canopy, which will allow patients to be dropped off or picked up at curbside protected from inclement weather. The project will also include dedicated parking for Outpatient Cancer Center patients in close proximity to the Center. The facade will be constructed to match the existing main and emergency room entrances of the hospital. The project will cost $500,000 with estimated completion set for early June 2008.

The new entrance and canopy will complement the renovation of the new state-of-the-art Outpatient Cancer Center and will further expand the mission of the partnership between DeSoto Regional Health System and Feist-Weiller Cancer Center at LSU Health Sciences Center - Shreveport. The project includes upgrades to the lobby, waiting room, exam rooms and an expanded chemotherapy area where patients will be able to receive their treatments in a spacious, healing environment. The combined cost of both the interior and exterior projects is nearly $1 million.