Ochsner Health is a system that delivers health to the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and the Gulf South with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate.
Brees Family Center Marks 1 Year in North Baton Rouge
BATON ROUGE – Ochsner Baton Rouge celebrates one year since opening Ochsner Community Health - Brees Family Center in North Baton Rouge. The facility also represents a crucial partnership among Ochsner, East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome and other community leaders, along with the Brees Dream Foundation. It also is a milestone in Ochsner’s long-term mission of reducing barriers to healthcare by making services affordable, convenient and accessible to all.,
The Brees Family Center opened in April 2021 in the New Era Medical Complex with approximately 5,100 square feet of space with 10 exam rooms, providing primary care, pediatrics, behavioral health, obstetrics/gynecology and smoking cessation services to underserved communities with the goal of promoting health equity for all.
The center is part of Ochsner Health’s $10 million commitment to open 15 community health centers across the state, made possible with a $5 million gift in 2020 from Brittany and Drew Brees’ Brees Dream Foundation. Funds from the Brees Dream Foundation support startup and operational costs for these facilities.
In addition, the Brees Family Center is part of Ochsner’s Healthy State initiative to improve Louisiana’s national health ranking from No. 50 to No. 40 by 2030.
“In just one year, this facility has made a difference in our lives,” says East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. “It has improved families’ ability to receive health care. To seek testing that is crucial to diagnosing, treating and managing illnesses. To receive COVID-19 vaccines. And the ability to do all this closer to home.”
Kevin Green, Ochsner Vice President of Clinic Operations for Community Health Centers, says the Brees Family Center has had more than 6,700 appointments made since opening. He says the center has also formed community partnerships with Family Road of Greater Baton Rouge, the Greater Baton Food Bank, Scotlandville Hight School, Scotlandville Community Development Corp. and Baton Rouge NOW.
“We know that meeting patients where they are to help proactively manage any chronic diseases helps us improve overall health and well-being,” Green says. “We also know that outcomes are better when we engage with community partners, and over the past year, we’ve made significant strides.”
Providers at the center include the primary care team of Edith Mbagwu, M.D., Coleatha Fowler, N.P., and Trakissia Tolbert, N.P., pediatrician Durga Alahari, M.D., social worker Sarah Dulaney, LCSW, and women’s services provider Molly McRae, N.P.
The Brees Family Center is open Monday-Thursday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Fridays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information or to make an appointment, call (225) 726-2522.
To learn more about the effort to create a healthier state, please visit ochsner.org/healthyyou.
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About Ochsner Baton Rouge
Greater Baton Rouge is home to Ochsner Medical Center - Baton Rouge, a full-service, 150-bed hospital and 13 Health Centers across Ascension, East Baton Rouge, Iberville, Livingston and Tangipahoa Parishes – including Ochsner Cancer Center – Baton Rouge. Over 2,300 employees serve patients in the Greater Baton Rouge area, including more than 250 physicians and Advanced Practice Providers whose collective dedication to patient care is recognized for quality excellence by Becker’s Hospital Review, Healthgrades, Truven Health Analytics and Leapfrog. Ochsner Baton Rouge is a part of Ochsner Health, Louisiana’s largest non-profit healthcare delivery system committed to giving back to the communities it serves through preventative screenings, health and wellness resources and partnerships with innovative organizations that share our vision. Ochsner healed more than 876,000 people from across the globe in 2019, providing the latest medical breakthroughs and therapies, including digital medicine for chronic conditions and telehealth specialty services. Ochsner's team of more than 26,000 employees and 4,500 providers are working to reinvent the future of health and wellness in the Gulf South. To learn more about Ochsner Baton Rouge, please visit our website and follow us on Facebook.
