The Common Ground Health Clinic is a non-profit organization

Non-profit organization

Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...

 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. The clinic started on September 9, 2005 just days after Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...

 devastated the Gulf Coast.

Common Ground Health Clinic had its beginnings when four young street medic

Street medic

Street medics, or action medics, are volunteers with varying degrees of medical training who attend protests and demonstrations to provide medical care such as first aid. Unlike regular emergency medical technicians, who serve with more established institutions, street medics usually operate in a...

s showed up in Algiers a few days after the hurricane. They began riding around on bicycles asking residents if they needed medical attention. Locals were apparently surprised to be approached in this way, since no representatives of government agencies or of the Red Cross

American Red Cross

The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...

 had appeared up to that point. The medics offered first aid

First aid

First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...

, took blood pressure, tested for diabetes, and asked about symptoms of anxiety, depression, and other disease.

The clinic was originally set up in a mosque. Nurses, physicians, herbalists, acupuncturists, EMTs, social workers and community activists came from around the world to volunteer at Common Ground Health Clinic.

Current

The clinic has filled part of the need left by the shuttering in the aftermath of the storm of Charity Hospital, a free public hospital that had served the citizens of New Orleans since 1736. To date, the clinic has recorded over 60,000 patient visits - all at no or low charge to the patient. Staff at the clinic also work in the community to address societal factors that contribute to ill health, such as systemic racism and poverty. Patient services include primary care, Spanish medical interpreting, mind-body medicine groups, herbal medicine, social work, acupuncture and testing for HIV.

The clinic is now located in the space formerly occupied by a corner grocery store, at 1400 Teche Street in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans. The budget for 2010 was approximately $1.3 million.

Awards and Recognition

Dr. Ravi Vadlamudi, a Tulane University physician and first medical director after the storm, was recognized as one of the year's CNN Heroes

CNN Heroes

CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute is an annual television special created by CNN to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to help others. It is hosted by Anderson Cooper...

 for his efforts in opening the clinic in the aftermath of the storm.

The clinic was awarded the highest marks by the National Committee for Quality Assurance

National Committee for Quality Assurance

The National Committee for Quality Assurance is an independent 501 non-profit organization in the United States designed to improve health care quality. It was established in 1990 with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. NCQA manages voluntary accreditation programs for individual...

for its community-based care efforts.

The clinic has been featured in a number of national and international publications and television and radio shows.