BATON ROUGE - With only a few days to spare, doctors and staff at Prairieville ER and Hospital, also known as Prairieville Family Hospital, will have to find new jobs. 

The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) decided to revoke the hospital's license after the facility failed to meet the minimum requirements for an average patient's length of stay. The facility is also breaking state regulations by operating a free-standing emergency room, according to documents from the LDH. 

"In October when they came and pulled a site visit, our average length of stay was 1.3 days. Obviously did not meet criteria. In February when they came back, it was 1.9 and we were on trajectory. And since then, our average length of stay has been around 3 days," said Dr. Stewart Cayton, M.D. with the Prairieville Family Hospital. "If they would consider the new numbers, we would meet criteria."

The hospital has only been open since 2019. Dr. Cayton believes he and his colleagues weren't given a fair chance, because their business is still growing. 

The Prairieville Family Hospital is privately-funded and owned. Doctors and staff believes the state is only doing the community a disservice by taking away this facility, which provides quick and easily-accessible medical assessments and care to hundreds of people per day.

What is hurting their numbers, says Dr. Jodi Mcgee, is that they are not equipped to treat patients for long periods of time. They focus on short term illnesses, such as dehydration and kidney stones or broken bones, and that should be accepted as a necessary form of care in the eyes of the state.

"We're actually being penalized because people are getting better too quick and going home. And I thought that's the way things are supposed to be these days, people are supposed to get better faster. Not trying to milk a hospital stay to keep them here longer," Dr. Cayton said.

Operations will cease on Sunday evening at the Prairieville ER and Hospital.