54,000 Square Foot Health Home at 1631 Elysian Fields is Being Constructed to Revolutionize Health Outcomes in New Orleans.
January 10th 2018 – CrescentCare, a Federally Qualified Health Center which grew out of the NO/AIDS Task Force, has grown at an exponential pace in the past few years. To meet growing need, the agency made plans to build a new health center which will more than double its capacity to serve the community. The new site is going up at 1631 Elysian Fields, and by early 2019 will be offering primary medical care, dental care, behavioral health, and other supportive services for the greater New Orleans area. To complete the building, the agency needs $4 million more of the total cost, approximately $32 million. CrescentCare is turning to the community for this vital funding.
To a room of about a hundred long-time advocates and supporters, CEO Noel Twilbeck introduced the campaign, dubbed Deeply Rooted / Branching Out at Ralph’s on the Park Wednesday evening. An ask for funding was made, but he also requested help in spreading the word and enthusiasm about the necessity of this health center.
Twilbeck States, “This project will ultimately make an incredible impact on the community. As the campaign title suggests, we are poised to offer high-quality services we’ve cultivated over our decades of serving the community to thousands more—every contribution to this campaign will change lives, without question.
CrescentCare’s health homes present valuable opportunities for individuals and families in the neighborhoods surrounding them to access quality services which might otherwise be out of reach. Additionally, the centers operate at various hours that make it possible for workers in the service industry to be seen outside of traditional business hours. The 8th Ward neighborhood and the community at-large stand to reap significant benefits from this facility.
Rodney Thoulion, Director of Development for CrescentCare Remarks: “We are in a great position because sometimes campaigns like this have to start completely from scratch and it can take a long while for the facilities to go up. Because of our incredible partners, we’ve already got work started, so anyone can see where the efforts are going—just drive past the building on Elysian Fields and you can see the future of CrescentCare.”
The new facility is funded in part by New Market Tax credits provided by the Primary Care Development Corporation, Hope Enterprises, and Chase. Gould Evans serves as the architects and contractors. Donahue-Favret have been instrumental in the project.
At the conclusion of the event, one donor provided a $50,000 contribution to get the ball rolling. CrescentCare hopes to have more soon.
“We’re going to need a lot more like that,” said Alice Riener, Chief Legal and Policy Of cer for CrescentCare, “Just like in the healthcare setting, there’s more work to be done, but it’s worth it, and we’re excited to share this project with the community. In the current policy environment, accessible, high-quality healthcare for everyone needs to be a whole-community priority.”
Individuals and groups interested in contributing to CrescentCare’s mission and the building of this new facility are encouraged to contact Rodney Thoulion, Director of Development at rodney.thoulion@crescentcare.org or 504.821.2601.
