An overview of the history & recent accomplishments of the Common Ground Health Clinic, as of February 2009.

1. Algiers, New Orlean
1400 Teche St.
New Orleans, LA
70114
www.cghc.org

5. Nine days after Katrina hit, a group of
street medics arrived and began
knocking on doors and asking people
if they needed medical attention.

6. They had broken through the barricade
that surrounded New Orleans

7. They were not the Red Cross or FEMA,
just volunteers who came
to offer first aid.

8. The volunteers became part of a
healthcare movement focused on creating
a sustainable model for free community
health care…
the Common Ground Health Clinic.

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

11. 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.

13. Doctors, nurses, herbalists, body
workers, counselors, pharmacists, ac
upuncturists 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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.

20. 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.

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

22. Clinic hours were staffed by local
doctors, nurses, medical students
and community members.
Until Spring 2007, most of them
were volunteers.

23. The clinic is under Emergency
Credentialing.
This allows licensed doctors and
nurses from all states to volunteer
their services.

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

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

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

27. Services include….
routine primary care, interpretation services,
prescription assistance,
acupuncture, mental health care,
social work services,
herbal medicine and
laboratory services.

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

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

30. Renovation in July 2007

31. In February 2008, the clinic implemented an
electronic medical record (EMR) system that
was donated by Allscripts.

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

33. 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.

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

35. Almost all of the patients have no
medical insurance.
Many formerly received their care at
Charity Hospital, which still remains
unopened.

36. 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

37. The clinic stands in contrast to the
time crunched, profit-driven, top-down
environment that has become the
standard in the health care industry.

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

41. New Orleans Food & Farm Network

42. Amigos Super Market
Feria 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, 2008
1629 Gentilly Blvd. New Orleans, LA 70119
Te esperamos de 10am a 3pm

43. Unearthing the Fire Cider

44. Wellness Night

45. Resource Guides

47. Hat Making with Ms. Powell

48. Center for Mind Body Medicine

49. 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.

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

51. Kimberly
Richards, PhD
People’s Institute
for Survival and
Beyond (PISAB)
CGHC board
member

53. CGHC believes the relationship
with PISAB is directly related to
the success of the clinic.

54. 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.

55. 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.

56. Collaborating Organizations
• St. Thomas Community • People’s Institute for
Health Center Survival and Beyond
• Tulane University • N’R Peace
Community Health Clinic • Craig Cultural Center
at Covenant House • Foundation for the Mid
• Louisiana Public Health South
Institute • Healthcare Information
• REACH-NOLA Management Systems
Society