Algiers, New Orlean

1400 Teche St. New Orleans, LA 70114

http://www.commongroundclinic.org

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

began knocking on doors and asking people if they needed medical

attention.

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

sent out by Common Ground Relief founders Malik Rahim and Sharon Johnson, and came to offer first aid.

The volunteers rapidly grew in number, and became part of a healthcare movement focused on creating a sustainable model for 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 continues to organize 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.

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.

A major renovation in July 2007 greatly improved the space.

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).

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

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, in every way….

Here are some more highlights of the first seven years of CGHC!

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

In 2012, CGHC services include:

routine primary care, interpretation services in Spanish &

Portuguese, dermatology, prescription assistance, wellness programs, acupuncture, classes in gardening, cooking,

exercise & nutrition, advocacy, social work services, youth art workshops,

herbal medicine, endocrinology and laboratory services.

Mission Statement

The Common Ground Health Clinic is a non-profit organization that provides 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 provide quality integrative healthcare.• To provide quality healthcare education for

preventive self-care.• To create an environment conducive to

patient, staff and volunteer learning.• To work in an anti-racist paradigm.

… And in many ways, we’ve just begun!

Thank you for continuing to walk with us.