Opelousas General Health System Foundation and City of Opelousas Announce Walking Trail

The Opelousas General Health System Foundation and the City of Opelousas announce construction of a walking trail in the city’s South Park.

Opelousas General Health System and the OGHS Foundation’s goal is to improve the overall health of our community. The walking trail project was developed through the collaboration of the OGHS Foundation’s alliance, Healthy St. Landry, the City of Opelousas, and State Representative Dustin Miller.

Since Healthy St. Landry’s inception in 2018, members of the alliance, including partners that provide services and resources for St. Landry Parish, have worked collectively to improve our community’s health outcomes by addressing social determinants of health and developing a comprehensive approach to improving the community’s health. Eighty percent of these outcomes are driven by activities outside the traditional healthcare delivery system and include factors such as education, poverty, obesity, mental health support, unemployment, access to health care, violence in the home, nutrition and other factors.

“The construction of this walking trail brings Healthy St. Landry one step closer to fulfilling our mission of improving overall health. Our hope is that individuals and families will utilize this resource to enhance both their physical and mental health,” said Tracey Antee, OGHS Foundation Director.

The City of Opelousas has worked hard for decades to provide two beautiful parks within the city limits for the community to utilize for family activities and sporting events. This is a positive enhancement to the South Park location and Mayor Julius Alsandor was instrumental in initiating this project.

State Representative Dustin Miller, a passionate advocate for a healthier St. Landry and a healthcare provider, secured these funds from an anonymous donor and administered the funds through the OGHS Foundation.

"It's exciting to see such a significant project in our district that gives the opportunity to improve the overall health of our community while accessing utilization of our parks. As our overall community health continues to prove to be more and more important, Healthy St. Landry through the OGHS Foundation has continued to be proactive in addressing these issues. I'm honored to have been able to facilitate this donation to the OGHS Foundation and am looking forward to upcoming projects,” said State Representative Dustin Miller.

The walking trail, estimated to be complete by the end of summer, is approximately one mile in length. It will border South Park with connection points to various recreation amenities and will include drinking fountains, park benches, security cameras, trash receptacles and decorative lighting. The lighting will be installed by Cleco.

For more information about the South City Park Walking Trail, contact the OGHS Foundation at 337-678-4266 or email traceyantee@opelousasgeneral.com.