Algiers, New Orlean

1400 Teche St. New Orleans, LA

70114

www.cghc.org

Nine days after Katrina hit, a group of street medics arrived and began

knocking on doors and asking people if they needed medical attention.

They had broken through the barricade that surrounded New Orleans

They were not the Red Cross or FEMA,just volunteers who came

to offer first aid.

The volunteers became part of a healthcare movement focused on creating a sustainable model for free community health care…

the Common Ground Health Clinic.

For the first four months, the clinic operated out of donated space at the Masjid Bilal, an Algiers mosque.

Initially, the clinic was open 7 days a week as a 24-hour first aid station, hitting a peak of 150 patients seen in one day in October 2005.

Doctors, nurses, herbalists, body workers, counselors, pharmacists, acupuncturists and physical therapists came from around the world to volunteer with the clinic as the First Aid Station developed into a free-emergency response health care clinic.

In the first month after the levees broke, a few volunteers from the clinic began scouting areas of New Orleans in order to assess healthcare needs on the ground.

They quickly realized that among the many gaps in the public healthcare

infrastructure…

was a source of culturally competent, bilingual healthcare

for Latino residents and day laborers.

The Latino Health Outreach Project (LHOP) was formed and began setting up mobile clinics where large numbers

of workers were staying.

Today, LHOP organizes health clinics and projects with and for the Latino

community.

In January 2006, Common Ground Health Clinic moved to its current location across the street from the mosque.

Clinic started operating four days per week.

In an old corner store in Algiers, a clinic was born….

Clinic hours were staffed by local doctors, nurses, medical students and community members.

Until Spring 2007, most of them were volunteers.

The clinic is under Emergency Credentialing.

This allows licensed doctors and nurses from all states to volunteer their services.

Many health care providers volunteering at the clinic often state that their experience reminds them why they went into the field of medicine.

In its first year, the clinic had recorded over 15,000 visits… and a strong commitment to the Algiers neighborhood was created.

Since 2006, the clinic serves approximately 200 patients per week and all the provider visits are free of charge.

Services include….

routine primary care, interpretation services, prescription assistance,

acupuncture, mental health care, social work services,herbal medicine and laboratory services.

After assisting in the fall of 2005, Ravi Vadlamudi, MD, MPH, became the Medical Director of Common Ground Health Clinic and volunteered until May 2008.

In April 2007, CGHC welcomed Antor Ndep, PhD (c) as Executive Director

Renovation in July 2007

In February 2008, the clinic implemented an electronic medical record (EMR) system that

was donated by Allscripts.

In January 2009, the clinic received recognition as a Patient Centered Medical Home from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

CGHC received NCQA Level III, which is the highest level of recognition.

It is one of only two clinics in the state of Louisiana to qualify at this level.

The top three diagnoses seen at the clinic are hypertension, diabetes and stress management— all chronic poverty-related conditions.

Almost all of the patients have no medical insurance.

Many formerly received their care at Charity Hospital, which still remains unopened.

To date, the clinic has recorded approximately 60,000 patient visits

To date, the clinic has spent approximately $ 1,200,000

To date, the United States has spent approximately $ 600,000,000,000

to fund the war in Iraq**www.costofwar.com

The clinic stands in contrast to the time crunched, profit-driven, top-down

environment that has become the standard in the health care industry.

It has become an important part of the community, and continues to grow….

New Orleans Food & Farm Network

Amigos Super MarketFeria de Salud

Test de Presión Arterial, Prueba de azúcar en la sangre, Acupuntura y Examen Gratuito del VIH (Resultado en 25 minutos con muestra de saliva)

Sábado 25 de Octubre, 20081629 Gentilly Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70119

Te esperamos de 10am a 3pm

Unearthing the Fire Cider

Wellness Night

Resource Guides

Hat Making with Ms. Powell

Center for Mind Body Medicine

CGHC hopes to increase access to high-quality primary care services, so that New Orleans residents do not have to depend on emergency rooms and hospitals for assistance with chronic diseases.

Continued funding enables the clinic to focus on preventive services and health education programs that stress lifestyle modifications and community engagement with health issues.

Kimberly Richards, PhDPeople’s Institute for Survival and Beyond (PISAB)

CGHC board member

CGHC believes the relationship with PISAB is directly related to

the success of the clinic.

Mission Statement

The Common Ground Health Clinic is a non-profit organization that provides free quality health care for the greater New Orleans community, and develops and provides programs to address community health care needs through collaborative partnerships.

Purpose

• To deliver quality healthcare services for free at the point of care.

• To provide quality healthcare education for preventive self-care.

• To create an environment conducive to patient, staff and volunteer learning.

• To provide quality integrative healthcare.• To work in an anti-racist paradigm.

Collaborating Organizations• St. Thomas Community Health Center• Tulane University Community Health Clinic at Covenant

House• Louisiana Public Health Institute• REACH-NOLA

• People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond• N’R Peace• Craig Cultural Center• Foundation for the Mid South• Healthcare Information Management Systems Society