ALEXANDRIA, La. (UrbanCast: 8/31/2026) – Rapides Regional Medical Center knows a thing or two about taking care of hearts as Alexandria’s oldest hospital.
Monday morning, it unveiled our region’s newest heart as part of the Explore Alexandria Pineville Community Heart Project.
“We are proud to join other businesses and organizations in our community by taking part in the Community Heart project,” said Charla H. Ducote, vice president of Marketing, Public Relations and Business Development at Rapides Regional Medical Center. “This is a great way to promote Central Louisiana as the heart of Louisiana. Since 1903, we not only have been taking care of our community, but we’ve been located in the heart of downtown Alexandria and Central Louisiana. We hope this beautiful heart will be reminder to all who see it of our commitment and dedication to our home.”
Designed by Pineville artist Tammy Hromadka
The heart was designed by Pineville artist Tammy Hromadka.
“My vision for the piece was the place Rapides Regional Medical Center holds in the lives of the people of Central Louisiana, from its humble beginnings, through the impressive credentials of its present form and into the future of medical science and patient care,” said Hromadka.
Hromadka’s design plays off Rapides Regional Medical Center’s distinct Sun and River logo. The sun signifies beginning and end, while the river signifies life and acknowledges Rapides Regional Medical Center’s neighbor, the Red River.
“The sunburst is a striking and meaningful image that can be seen in several places on the sculpture as a symbolic gesture as well as for artistic continuity,” said Hromadka. “It is my hope that this sculpture stands as a symbol of the high standards Rapides Regional Medical Center sets and achieves and the confidence that the community derives from it while working together.”
The Community Heart Program launched in February 2025, and nearly 40 of the artistic pieces can be found throughout Alexandria/Pineville with around 20 additional hearts in the creative stage. The heart at Rapides Regional Medical Center is the second commissioned piece for Hromadka. She also painted the Rotary Club of Alexandria’s heart located between the front steps of the Hotel Bentley, which hosted the first Rotary Club meeting in 1916.
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Source: Rapides Regional Medical Center
