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Common Ground Health Clinic Gets Top Marks

Section: Community

Michele Burton-Oatis

Volunteer-Initiated Free Clinic in New Orleans Achieves National Recognition for Quality of Care

Flying in the face of oft-made assumptions about low cost meaning poor quality, the Common Ground Health Clinic in Algiers is the first to be awarded the highest level of recognition available (Level 3) by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. Although the Common Ground Health Clinic is among 37 clinics in the New Orleans area to be recognized by the organization as Patient-Centered Medical Homes, only two in the city have achieved the top grade: Common Ground Health Clinic and the St. Thomas Community Health Center.

Founded by volunteers during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina on September 9, 2005, the Common Ground Health Clinic sees 150-200 patients each week, at no cost, and works 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.

Common Ground Health Clinic: http://www.cghc.org
National Committee for Quality Assurance: http://www.ncqa.org

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