In 2009, a small local healthcare corporation opened its doors in Winnfield with just five employees. Members of the Winnfield Kiwanis Club recently stepped inside a towering symbol of how much that initial vision has grown.

 

For their weekly lunch meeting, Kiwanians gathered on the third floor of the brand-new, 52,000-square-foot Trinity Community Health Centers of Louisiana (Winn Community Health Center) complex on West Court Street. The visit offered a firsthand look at a facility that is transforming both downtown Winnfield and the landscape of rural medicine across the state.

 

Today, the organization built by CEO Deano Thornton has scaled into the single largest provider of rural health in Louisiana. The multi-parish network now boasts over 500 employees, 12 standalone clinics, and more than 50 school-based health centers spanning Winn, Grant, Bienville, Bossier, Rapides, Lincoln, and De Soto parishes.

Despite that statewide reach, the heart of the operation remains proudly local. The stunning $30 million complex—now a prominent feature of the downtown skyline—was brought to life by a familiar face. Lisa Peddy Frontaura, a graduate of Winnfield Senior High School and Vice President of Operations for TBA Studio, served as the lead principal architect. To honor central Louisiana’s timber legacy, the facility features extensive warm wood accents on both the interior and exterior, ensuring the massive structure feels uniquely tied to the community it serves.

 

During a walking tour, Thornton highlighted how the building centralizes specialized care under one roof. The facility houses general medical practice, pediatrics, behavioral health counseling, dental suites, chiropractic, podiatry, and physical therapy services, alongside an in-house discount pharmacy. Advanced services, including optometry, are slated to be added to the lineup in the near future.

In addition to expanding local healthcare access, the building serves as an economic engine for the parish. The third floor functions as the regional administrative headquarters for the entire multi-parish network. By centralizing billing, IT, finance, and medical records right here in Winnfield, the complex brings 125 to 130 professionals into the downtown area every single day.

 

Thornton emphasized that throughout this growth, Trinity’s core mission remains unchanged: providing top-tier care to every patient, regardless of insurance status. Demonstrating their deep investment in the community’s future, Trinity has also pledged $1 million toward an upcoming local school bond issue to fund a new school-based health center and assist the school system.

The presentation concluded with a tribute to the organization’s 14-member governing board, which sets a high standard by being 100% patient-led. Thornton paused to honor the memory of their longtime, beloved board chairman, Ellen Russell, who passed away last year but whose deep legacy of community service lives on in the mission of the new complex.

 

From a five-person office to a state-of-the-art landmark, the new Trinity complex stands as a testament to what happens when local visionaries and homegrown talent invest directly back into the place they call home.