New Orleans Women's Health Clinic
New Orleans, LA
Phone: 504-524-8255
E-mail:
The New Orleans Women’s Health Clinic (NOWHC) is a grassroots community-based non-profit women’s health clinic operated by a radical, women of color-led, feminist health collective. NOWHC offers an integrated program of sexual and reproductive health, education, counseling, and referral services centered on the specific needs of low income and uninsured women of color and other marginalized women under a primary health care model.
The Problem: Even before Hurricane Katrina, women of color and low income women in New Orleans lacked access to basic health care. Almost three years after the storm, the limited health care resources that existed before the storm for low income and uninsured individuals have yet to be replaced, despite repeated commitments by public officials to create a “better system.” In reality, this “better system” includes plans to shift from public services to subsidized private health insurance, leaving over 60 percent of Louisiana ’s most vulnerable residents without health insurance or a safety net.
Combined with the loss of needed public resources and the continuation of economic isolation, gender inequality, environmental hazards, limited housing affordability, and racial discrimination, this lack of services and access to safe, affordable preventative care is equal to a public health disaster that directly impacts women of color and low-income women – particularly those who are young, uninsured, immigrant, elders, head of households, HIV/AIDS positive, homeless, sex workers, queer, disabled/differently-abled, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated, and living in public housing – as they face increased barriers to health care.
The need to organize to address this public health crisis in New Orleans is clear, but the specific needs of women and the issues of sexual and reproductive oppression have not been prioritized in the rebuilding of the city. The manifestations of ill-health, lack of preventative care, inadequate medical resources, and the absence of a comprehensive health policy paint an unpromising picture as the voices of low income and uninsured women of color are largely silenced. Despite this harsh reality, the New Orleans Women’s Health Clinic (NOWHC), a women of color-led project, has become a CRITICAL resource with vast potential for comprehensive health education and grassroots organizing activities.
Our Mission: Located at 1406 Esplanade Ave. in the historic Tremé Community – one of the oldest communities of free people of color in the U.S., the mission of the New Orleans Women’s Health Clinic is to equip marginalized and underserved women with the means to control and care for their own bodies, lives, sexuality, and reproduction through a holistic, community-centered well women approach to health care which integrates sexual health and reproductive justice. Through the organizing and health advocacy work of INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence, the New Orleans Women’s Health Clinic was conceived to combine health services with a political analysis of the oppression that prevents low income, uninsured, immigrant, disabled/differently-abled, formerly incarcerated, and LBTQ women of color from receiving comprehensive health care.
NOWHC not only provides health care services, but also addresses the social invisibility of low-income women of color that allows their needs to be chronically ignored and unmet. As corporate healthcare programs attempt to fill the gaps in health care existing for low-income women in New Orleans , NOWHC stands out as a clinic that is grassroots in origin and support, and that incorporates an analysis of the root causes of the current health care crisis into the services it provides.
Since the New Orleans Women’s Health Clinic opened on May 1, 2007 , the demand for our services has steadily increased month by month. We currently provide a range of gynecological care and preliminary obstetrical visits including pregnancy testing and counseling; pap smears; pelvic exams; diagnosis and treatment of irregular menstruation, vaginal, urinary tract, and sexually transmitted infections; comprehensive sex education and access to safe and effective contraceptives; and prenatal care and education. Services at the Clinic are available to all women, regardless of ability to pay. Offering services on a sliding fee scale helps to ensure that every patient has access to the care they need, at a cost they can afford. Clinical services are currently provided by a nurse practitioner – a registered nurse with additional advanced training in women’s health – who works in collaboration with our medical director, to provide preventative screenings and treatment, promote self-care, and share ways for women to avoid illness, take care of their bodies, and explore a wide range of possible pathways to wellness.
Other Projects: In addition to our medical services provided at the Clinic, NOWHC operates a Community Health & Wellness Project that addresses the social and economic health determinants of health disparities through health education, organizing, and advocacy; a Women’s Health Fund, which is designed to ensure that uninsured women who cannot afford the cost of care or medications can receive care at NOWHC.
In the tradition of understanding basic human needs as part of a larger struggle for justice, our approach to health is holistic, community and well-woman centered. We draw strength and inspiration from the other individuals, groups and organizations around the world who stand with us in combating all forms of violence against women of color.