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The clinics operated by the New Orleans Dream Center – one of 400+ safety net clinics in AmeriCares network – treated 565 patients in 2011, providing more than $200,000 in services and goods.The center was founded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to care for the city’s growing population of uninsured and impoverished residents. The medical clinic provides primary care along with chronic care services for illnesses including diabetes, respiratory, heart, and gastrointestinal disease. The dental clinic receives regular referrals from hospitals and urgent care centers because there are no other free clinics offering such comprehensive services.AmeriCares delivered nine shipments totaling nearly $115,000 in medicines and supplies to the center in 2011, including a supply of urgently-needed antibiotics.“Before the opening of one of our clinics, patients were standing in line just to have an opportunity to see a doctor,” said Diane Amos, director of the center. “Because of the donation of amoxicillin, we were able to provide the antibiotic for people who needed it. With the help of partners such as AmeriCares, we can have an everlasting effect on many lives.”The needWhen Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005, the city’s federal flood protection system failed, resulting in the first ever mandatory evacuation in the city’s history. Between 2005 and 2007, the homeless population in New Orleans doubled to 12,000 – many of whom were Katrina evacuees. A Kaiser survey found that about 25% of the non-elderly population in New Orleans is uninsured and, as a result, many postpone needed medical care.Resources
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