More than decade in planning and execution, the center will be at 1513 Doctors Drive in Bossier City, on property donated by Willis-Knighton Medical Center and formerly the home of the Bossier Parish Community College physical therapy program.
The grand opening will begin at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 17 with a program in the Miciotto Auditorium at the Willis-Knighton Innovation Center on 2105 Airline Dr.
The ceremony will be followed by a tour of the new center on nearby Doctors Dr.
Participants at the ceremony will represent the five judicial districts and nine parishes served by the new center:
Judge James E. Stewart Sr., 1st Judicial District, Caddo Parish; J. Schuyler Marvin, 26th Judicial District, Bossier and Webster parishes; Danny Newell, 2nd Judicial District, Bienville, Claiborne and Jackson parishes; Don M. Burkett, 11th Judicial District, Sabine Parish; Julie C. Jones, 39th Judicial District, Red River Parish; and Gary Evans, 42nd Judicial District, DeSoto Parish.
These events are open to the public.
The center will provide counseling for domestic violence victims, assistance in filing protective orders and security planning and help with medical care, substance abuse treatment and housing issues.
“It’s more than one parish,” said Caddo Parish District Attorney James E. Stewart Sr. “It’s all the DA’s offices working together. It’s a one-stop shop for support and services.”
The center is modeled on a pioneering effort in San Diego, California, that have been successfully implemented in several locations in south Louisiana and in Monroe.
Efforts to create the center began in 2003 under Bossier-Webster District Attorney J. Schuyler Marvin through his establishment of the Faith-based and Grass-Roots Advisory Committee.
It worked in collaboration with Beth Chumley, executive director of the Council for the Advancement of Social Services and Education, or CASSE, and area businessman Angelo A. Roppolo, who now serves on the Family Justice Center of Northwest Louisiana Executive Committee.
Local efforts also have been in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women and the Louisiana Attorney General’s office.
To view original article click here: NWLA Family Justice Center to Open in Bossier City.