The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) will put its healthcare IT mission into action as the organization heads to New Orleans for its 2007 Annual HIMSS Conference & Exhibition Feb 25 to March 1 by partnering with the Common Ground Health Clinic in the Katrina-ravaged city. The HIMSS Foundation is coordinating to provide needed supplies and technology to the free clinic in the Algiers section of New Orleans.
“With our annual conference in New Orleans, we wanted to contribute to the rebuilding of the city and its healthcare delivery system, said HIMSS Board Chair George T. Hickman. “The Common Ground Health Clinic serves so many people who are in need of the resources that HIMSS and our members can provide.”
“Since the breakdown of New Orleans’ healthcare system, Common Ground Health Clinic has been one of only a few clinics in the region providing quality care to the uninsured population who are trying to rebuild their lives,” said Ravi Vadlamudi, M.D., MPH, volunteer medical director of the clinic. “The determination and commitment of the clinic and its volunteers have proven that it is possible, with very little funding, to provide patients with free high-quality healthcare,”
A HIMSS news release states that the Common Ground Health Clinic in New Orleans, La., has treated more than 20,000 patients since it opened on Sept. 9, 2005, just days after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Region. The clinic is in the Algiers neighborhood, located on the West Bank of New Orleans. Additionally, the clinic operates a Latino Health Outreach Project (LHOP) that goes out weekly to provide services to Latino laborers and residents. The clinic also provides weekly, confidential HIV testing in partnership with N’R Peace.
For more information visit the HIMSS Web site home page at www.himss.org and the HIMSS07 site www.himss07.org. Companies that want to donate supplies, health IT technology or consulting, or other products to Common Ground Health Clinic should contact [email protected] for more information.