DePaul Community Health breaks ground on new health center in Algiers

By Khalil Gillon
Contributing Writer

(Veritenews.org) — DePaul Community Health Centers of New Orleans held a groundbreaking ceremony on General DeGaulle Drive in Algiers for a new 20,000 square foot, $14.4 million community health center Friday, Sept. 1. The new health center will join 11 other DePaul centers in the New Orleans metropolitan area. It will be DePaul’s third facility on the West Bank.

Local, state and community leaders attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the new health center and spoke of its importance to the Algiers community.

“That river is a barrier in more ways than one,” said Kelsey Foster, executive director of the Algiers Economic Development Foundation, during the groundbreaking ceremony. “And so we are thrilled to have another provider here in Algiers to make sure that we’re focused on creating better outcomes for folks, that geography won’t stand between us and being healthy.”

“Algiers was one of the communities with the highest rates of COVID and highest rates of death in the entire New Orleans community, as well as one of the least vaccinated communities in the city, a lot of that is an issue of access,” Foster said.

The health center, scheduled to open September 2024, was funded through a grant under the New Markets Tax Credit program and also funding from Ascension Health, the nation’s largest Catholic and non-profit healthcare system. Ascension Health is a partner of DePaul.

The health center will provide an array of services such as infectious disease treatment, women’s health services, prenatal care, pediatrics and optometry.

“I hope that this leads to other development not only on DeGaulle but throughout Algiers,” said New Orleans City Councilmember Freddie King, whose district includes Algiers. “It’s going to be a plus for the West Bank and plus for Algiers and most importantly, thank you for listening to the community.”

DePaul Community Health Centers was previously known as Daughters of Charity Health Centers. The Daughters of Charity has been providing healthcare services in New Orleans since 1834, beginning at Charity Hospital. The group later founded Hotel Dieu Hospital, serving the community there for more than 130 years before the hospital was sold to the state in 1992 and renamed University Hospital. That same year Daughters of Charity established its first community health center on South Carrollton Avenue in the Hollygrove neighborhood.

“They started their work, working in an orphanage and working in schools and managing care facilities such as Charity Hospital,” said Michael Griffin, president and CEO of DePaul Community Health Centers. “So a long history and heritage of doing so many things in this community for so many years.”

This article originally published in the September 11, 2023 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.