A new healthcare clinic is poised to expand access to care, strengthen physician training, and serve as a long-term investment in the health of Northeast Louisiana.
The St. Francis Family Medicine, Sports Medicine, and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Clinic —operated by FMOL Health | St. Francis in affiliation with VCOM-Louisiana—will offer family medicine, osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM), sports medicine services and serve as a training site for future physicians. Community leaders, healthcare partners, and local officials gathered on July 22 to celebrate the clinic’s impact and future promise during a ribbon-cutting and blessing ceremony marking its official introduction to the region.
Meeting a Growing Community Need
The idea for the clinic grew out of a practical challenge—limited space for expanding residency programs at St. Francis—and quickly aligned with a shared mission to address physician shortages, particularly in rural Louisiana.
“Obviously, the mission of the College is to produce primary care physicians—family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, and OB/GYN,” Morrison explained. “All of those specialties stem from our mission to meet the needs of rural Louisiana.”
While Monroe and surrounding communities have robust healthcare systems, access remains a challenge for many patients. Long wait times and limited availability can delay care. The new clinic is designed to ease that burden.
“This is another opportunity to gain access to healthcare,” Morrison said. “It’s not about skipping the line—but about creating a new one so more people can be seen.”
Services Offered: Family Medicine, OMM, and Sports Medicine
The clinic will offer multiple services under one roof, making it a distinctive addition to the region. At its core, the clinic will offer comprehensive primary care for patients of all ages. In addition, the clinic will feature a dedicated osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) clinic, a hands-on diagnostic and treatment approach that focuses on how the body’s structure affects overall health. “The OMM clinic has never been offered in a formal clinic setting in Monroe,” Morrison said. “Once introduced, people quickly find how helpful and effective OMM can be. Those clinics, then, fill up very quickly because people desire that form of care.”
A sports medicine clinic will also operate on-site, serving collegiate athletes, high school sports programs, and community members with sports- and activity-related injuries. Given the University of Louisiana Monroe's (ULM) proximity and the region's highly active sports culture, leaders anticipate strong demand.
A Teaching Clinic with Long-Term Impact
Beyond patient care, the clinic will serve as a hands-on learning environment for medical students, residents, and fellows. Family medicine residents will rotate through the clinic as part of their training, and students may complete elective rotations in OMM or sports medicine. “This place will not only be ideal for physician training, but also to introduce new programs to the community,” Morrison said.
Future plans include potential fellowship opportunities, such as a one-year OMM fellowship or a sports medicine fellowship following residency training. While the programs will be broadly open to qualified graduates, VCOM and St. Francis leaders hope the clinic will encourage students to stay in Louisiana and practice there long term.
“That’s always been part of our mission—providing residency opportunities and helping graduates put down roots where they’re needed most,” Morrison said.
“Our recent accreditation of the Family Medicine Residency Program continues our forward momentum for St. Francis,” said Gullatt. “Our two residency programs for physicians, family medicine and internal medicine, represent the future of healthcare in Northeast Louisiana, one built on education, innovation, and the belief that the best care begins with those who live and train in the communities they serve.”
Shaista Qureshi, MD, MBBS, DABFM, FAAFP, associate professor for family medicine and graduate medical education at VCOM-Louisiana, and program director of the Family Medicine residency at St. Francis, said the new clinic will not only expand access to compassionate, high-quality care, but also provide a collaborative learning environment where VCOM students, and St. Francis residents can learn alongside one another while serving the Northeast Louisiana community. “Our residency program’s mission aligns closely with the St. Francis of Assisi mission—to serve God first and then His people—and we will continue to do that. I always tell my residents and our VCOM students that it wasn't just my mentors, colleagues, or nurses who shaped me into the physician I am today. It was my patients who made me a better person and a better doctor. I thank every patient who walks through these doors for teaching me how to be a better physician, and that's the same lesson I hope to pass on to our residents and students."
A Vacant Church Complex Reimagined as a Home for Health Care for the Community
The St. Francis Family Medicine, Sports Medicine, and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Clinic is located at 105 University Avenue in Monroe. This clinic building was formerly part of the White’s Ferry Road Church of Christ campus and associated ministry activities at ULM. Today, that familiar space, now owned by VCOM, has been repurposed, transforming it into a place where patients can receive compassionate, whole-person care. While much of the original structure remains intact, renovations were completed to support clinical care, education, and future expansion.
A Lasting Investment in Northeast Louisiana
The clinic serves as a model of collaboration, innovation, and long-term commitment to Northeast Louisiana. Through the partnership between VCOM-Louisiana and FMOL Health | St. Francis, the facility will expand access to high-quality, patient-centered care and help train the next generation of physicians dedicated to serving rural and underserved communities. Leaders say the clinic’s impact will extend far beyond its walls, strengthening the region’s healthcare workforce, improving outcomes, and reinforcing a shared vision of a healthier future for Northeast Louisiana.
The clinic is open from Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. and accepts both walk-in patients and those with appointments. For more information on the clinic, visit https://bit.ly/4fmhxhq
About FMOL Health | St. Francis
FMOL Health | St. Francis is a not-for-profit Catholic healthcare ministry based in Monroe, Louisiana, with more than 1,800 team members committed to caring for those we serve. With a 328-bed medical center, acute-care hospital, freestanding outpatient center, over 25 outpatient clinics, and nearly 350 physician partners, for more than 110 years, St. Francis has provided comprehensive healthcare services for a variety of medical and surgical specialties. St. Francis offers Northeast Louisiana’s only Level III NICU, Level III OB, OB-ED, and Level II PICU services. St. Francis Medical Center leads the region in heart and vascular services, critical care, and complex and minimally invasive surgical procedures. The hospital offers a designated Level III Trauma Center, a Graduate Medical Education Program, Accredited Chest Pain Center, Accredited Primary Stroke Center and Centers of Excellence in the areas of bariatric surgery, minimally invasive surgery, robotic surgery, minimally invasive gynecology, breast health and specialized anesthesia. St. Francis is part of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System and is driven by its mission to serve all God’s people, especially those most in need. For more information, visit stfran.com.
