Access to quality health care takes a large step forward in New Orleans with the awarding of $16,721,920 in health care grants. The funds are designed to assist in the stabilization, restoration and expansion of 25 health care service provider organizations in the New Orleans area.

The recipient organizations had to be providing services in Orleans, Jefferson, St. Bernard or Plaquemines parishes. The awards range from $239,950 to $719,849. The largest award, $4 million, went to the City of New Orleans Health Department. The remainder of the grant funds will be distributed throughout the rest of the three-year grant period. A full list of the clinics who will receive grant funding is found at the bottom of this page.

The grants are part of the Primary Care Access and Stabilization Grant program awarded to the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Louisiana Public Health Institute is administering the grant as the local partner of DHH.

Public and private nonprofit organizations were eligible for funding through the grant, including primary medical, mental health and substance abuse treatment providers. In addition, critical shortages in the areas of dental and optometric services will be addressed using funds from this grant. The funds will help health care providers expand their services through such methods as opening satellite clinics, extending hours of operation and hiring additional qualified medical staff.

The three-year, $100 million grant is designed to meet the increasing demand for health care services in the four-parish greater New Orleans area and decrease the reliance on emergency room usage for primary care services by Medicaid and those people without insurance or who are under-insured.

According to Dr. Roxane Townsend, DHH secretary, the organizations receiving the grants were selected through a rigorous screening process.

We have identified quality providers who have the experience and staffing and are ready to expand their capacity to provide these vital health care services, Townsend said.

The process was designed to ensure that applicants met all criteria established by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In order to participate, qualified organizations were required to show that they had been providing eligible primary and/or behavioral health care services for at least 20 hours per week since June 18, 2007 to everyone, regardless of ability to pay.

The Primary Care Access and Stabilization Grant program was announced by Secretary Michael Leavitt of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help ensure the capability of the health care infrastructure in New Orleans. The grant was announced in May and DHH received the funds in July.

Through the partnership with the Louisiana Public Health Institute, qualifying applicants were identified, and the awards have been made, added Townsend. This is a great example of a public-private partnership that will work to improve health care for the citizens of the region.

We are extremely grateful this funding has been made available to help support the health care providers that have stepped up so ably to fill critical health care needs in the greater New Orleans region, says Clayton Williams, director of Health Systems Development for LPHI and the grant administrator.

Beyond its role as steward and distributor of grant dollars, the Louisiana Public Health Institute is charged with providing technical assistance to the recipients to give them the tools they need to succeed.

The people of greater New Orleans will certainly be well served by the development of a strong network of comprehensive, neighborhood-based
primary care clinics with links to much-needed behavioral health and other supportive services. This is what we are dedicated to accomplishing over the three-year grant period, said Williams.

Community-Based Primary Medical Care Provider Organizations

Common Ground Health Clinic $282,294
Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans (MCLNO) $719,849
NO/AIDS Task Force $273,825
Children’s Hospital Medical Practice Corp $719,849
Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans $719,849
St. Thomas Community Health Center $719,849
Lower 9th Ward Health Clinic $310,523
New Orleans Musicians’ Assistance Foundation $289,351
Tulane University Adult and Pediatric Clinics at Covenant House $719,849
EXCELth, Inc. $698,677
Jefferson Community Health Care Centers, Inc. $719,849
Leading Edge Services International, Inc./Family Health Center $331,695
St. Charles Community Health Center – Kenner $606,932
St. Bernard Health Center, Inc $719,849
Plaquemines Medical Center $437,555
LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans (School Based Health Centers) $275,236
City of New Orleans Health Department $4,000,000

Community-Based Behavioral Health Services Provider Organizations

Jefferson Parish Human Services Authority $719,849
Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans $290,763
Odyssey House Louisiana, Inc. $471,078
Mercy Family Center $493,308
Covenant House $239,950
LSU Healthcare Network Behavioral Science Center $642,218
New Orleans Adolescent Hospital and Community Services $599,874
Metropolitan Human Services District $719,849

Submitted by Rob Anderson. Filed under Post-Hurricane Healthcare

Comments

I am an RN working in the greater NO metro area and am interested in this program. I have experience in OR, PACU, and ER. Please contact me at your earliest convenience.
Jason Barnes on October 4th, 2007

Hi I am a resident of New Orleans and a RN working in Mobile, AL. My friend, also a native New Orleanean is a dentist practicing in the Maryland/ Virginia area. Do you have incentives for her to move home and practice dentistry? Can she practice without a Louisiana license until she passes the Louisiana board? What about the field of nursing? I currently work as a psychiatric staff nurse and I am presently working on my masters degree in Public Health Nursing Administration. Please send information or any leads. Thank You, Grace Moffett, RN, BSN
Grace Moffett on October 16th, 2007

I'm an RN, BSN who has substancial college loans. I have been a volunteer in New Orleans and Mississippi since Katrina hit while continuing to work a full time job in Tennessee. I am interested in a program that would help pay off my loans while working in a clinical setting where there is a nursing shortage. I have worked Medical/Surgical but my speciality is Labor/Delivery, OBGYN, well baby nursery. I am willing to make a committment for loan repayment. Any information would be much appreciated. Thank you. Elaine Langley, RN, BSN
Elaine Langley on January 17th, 2008

Hi my name is Candace and I'm a mother of three I cant afford to see a denist I really eed help finding a free denist or a very cheap one Please I'm in paon with me teeth every night thnks so muck Candace
CANDACE on April 30th, 2008

I am a native Louisianian, currently residing in Georgia for past 2 years. I would very much like to return to my home state; I also have substantial student loan debt that funding can ease. Please provide me with details of the program for Behavioral Health Care Workers; I am currently a licensed mental health professional.
Donna Nelson on June 2nd, 2008

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