Luke's House Clinic

Accessible, high-quality health care remains a precious commodity in post-Katrina New Orleans, especially for the uninsured.  Luke's House, a free primary care clinic at Mount Zion United Methodist Church, was born out of concern for the health and well-being of New Orleans residents post-Katrina.  Volunteer doctors and nurses provide high-quality medical care to adults and children.  We also provide social workers and pastoral counselors to address mental health and spiritual needs.  We also distribute shelter vouchers, clothing donations, and free toiletries and snacks as needed.  We have an open door policy -- anyone can receive care at Luke's House at no cost.

Currently, our clinic only operates on Tuesday evenings. We start setting up at approximately 3:00 pm.  This involves clearing out the church sanctuary and setting up temporary, portable examination areas.  We set up supplies and equipment for an intake area, a triage area, a waiting room with a small playspace for children, an outtake area, and distribution areas for clothing, toiletries and snacks.  From 4:30 to 5:30 pm, we do homeless outreach, distributing donations and providing conversation and companionship.  Around 5:30 pm, clinic patients start arriving. We see patients until about 8:00 pm.

Our primary need is for Loyola service learning students to befriend and converse with guests in our waiting room and give them the attention, dignity and respect they deserve.  This would be ideal for someone who is friendly, outgoing, a good listener, and likes to talk to people.  We sometimes have Spanish-speaking patients who need a translator, so Spanish skills can be helpful.  Frequently, children are in the waiting room with their parents, so service learning students can engage them with books and games in our children's area.  Service learning students can also serve as "floaters," coordinating needs among the different areas (intake, triage, outtake, donations).  Students can also help distribute snacks, toiletries and clothing.

Location:  2700 Louisiana Avenue (near the intersection with Magnolia), inside Mount Zion Methodist Church
Transportation: Bikeable, drive or rideshare, or take the Freret bus (#15) to Louisiana Avenue and walk 2 blocks
Days and times: Tuesdays from 3:00 to approximately 9:00 pm (including set-up and take-down)
Contact: Tom Grissom, 504-444-7879, lukeshouseclinic@gmail.com