Act 149 of the Louisiana Legislature, signed by Governor H.C. Warmoth, was passed to establish the Charity Hospital of the City of Shreveport. This act provided a bond issue of $100,000 for buildings and permitted a tax on local amusements for support of the institution. The hospital was to provide care for the impoverished Confederate veterans and the recently freed slaves. For reasons that are unclear, but most likely financial, construction of the hospital was delayed until 1876.

Despite the absence of a state-supported hospital, Shreveport residents had access to the Shreveport Medical and Surgical Infirmary. A yellow fever outbreak in 1867 created the need for this type of medical facility. Although the infirmary was a private institution, the owners were given both state and local aid.