Ochsner Celebrates Community Outreach in November through Volunteer, Donation Opportunities

NEW ORLEANS, La. – As the area’s largest non-profit health system, Ochsner Health is proud to positively impact communities throughout Louisiana and the Gulf South. Ochsner invests in community outreach to expand reach outside the walls of our clinics and hospitals into surrounding neighborhoods, while educating and supporting residents to ensure they live long, healthy lives. While Ochsner does community affairs work year around, the hospital system has designated November as Community Outreach Month to celebrate our employees’ giving and volunteerism.

In giving back to the community Ochsner focuses on:

• Addressing Social Determinants of Health
• Community Health Partnerships
• K-12 Education Programs & School Support
• Youth Wellness & Prevention
• Employee Volunteerism

“Ochsner’s community affairs work is central to our mission of lifting Louisiana off the bottom of national health rankings through our Healthy State by 2030 initiative,” said Emily Arata, System Vice President of Community and Public Affairs at Ochsner Health. “We are proud to partner with organizations across Louisiana and the Gulf South to further that mission, particularly during the holiday season.”

Starting Nov. 6, community members throughout Greater New Orleans can benefit from health screenings, supply giveaways and more at the following events:

St. Anna’s Episcopal Church Health Fair

Ochsner will offer community health screenings, including flu shots and STI screenings.

• Date: Nov. 6
• Location: St. Anna’s Episcopal Church: 1313 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans, LA 70116
• Time: Noon to 4 p.m.

Big Easy Bike Fest

Ochsner will offer free COVID-19 vaccines.

• Date: Nov. 6
• Location: Lafitte Greenway at N. Prieur Street
• Time: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

St. Augustine High School Open House

Ochsner will support St. Augustine’s open house by providing interactive STEM programming and health screenings. Employees will also be on hand to recruit high school students for Ochsner STAR, a healthcare career education and science research training summer program, and for Ochsner STEM Pathfinder, a program focused on healthcare career exploration and interactive science education.

• Date: Nov. 7
• Location: 2600 AP Tureaud Ave, New Orleans, LA 70119
• Time: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Team Up for Student Health – St. Charles Parish Public Schools

St. Charles Parish Hospital and St. Charles Parish Public Schools will host “Team Up for Student Health” for sixth through 12th grade students and their guardians to encourage health, wellness, and smoking and vaping prevention. Presentations will focus on the correlation between successful educational engagement and positive health.

• Date: Nov. 10
• Location: Lafon Performing Arts Center – 275 Judge Edward Dufresne Parkway, Luling, LA 70070
• Time: 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

New Orleans City Council District E Annual Senior Luncheon

Partnering with Councilmember Oliver Thomas, Ochsner will offer seniors health guidance at this event.

• Date: Nov. 16
• Location: Sanchez Community Center – 1616 Fats Domino Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70117
• Time: 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Brees Family Center Drive-Through Community Thanksgiving Giveaway

The Ochsner Community Health Brees Family Center will work with local community partners to provide food, winter coats and other supplies to families in need. Ochsner staff will also be on hand to give out COVID-19 vaccines.

• Date: Nov. 19
• Location: 5950 Bullard Ave, New Orleans, LA 70128
• Time: 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., or until supplies last

Ochsner employees will also be participating in several holiday drives through OchsnerServes, a platform used for the health system’s employees to collaborate, contribute, and track outreach efforts in the community. Throughout November and into early December, Ochsner is partnering with Home Instead for their “Adopt a Senior” program to provide gifts for the elderly at area nursing homes. Ochsner employees will also have the opportunity to donate supplies to ‘Operation Value Our Vets,” a program sponsored by VetForce1 to provide much needed items for those who need them at VA hospitals and clinics throughout Louisiana and in Hancock County. VetForce 1 is an organization that helps veterans find meaningful employment upon return from duty.

And, because households that experience food insecurity face difficulty providing nutrition for all family members, Ochsner’s Office of Professional Well-Being and EatFit Nola are also partnering in a Thanksgiving Healthy Foods Drive. Donation boxes will be distributed across multiple campuses until Nov. 30. The nutritious, low-sodium food pantry items will benefit the community in which the donation was dropped off.

Throughout November, Ochsner will continue to invest in the next generation of healthcare professionals by providing cost-free programs for local K-12 students. Ochsner offers educational experiences for students from New Orleans Career Center (NOCC), Destrehan High School, Atonement Lutheran, Lycée Français, The Willow School, Harriet Tubman Charter School, John Ehret, Bonnabel, Meisler Middle School, Grace King, Alice Birney and many more. Through programming, Ochsner experts make STEM learning exciting while connecting students to various career paths within health sciences.

For more information about Ochsner’s Community Outreach work, visit Ochsner.org/giving/communityoutreach. To learn more about Ochsner’s Education Outreach initiatives, email educationoutreach@ochsner.org or visit Ochsner.org/EducationOutreach.

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About Ochsner Health

Ochsner Health is an integrated healthcare system with a mission to Serve, Heal, Lead, Educate and Innovate. Celebrating 80 years in 2022, it leads nationally in cancer care, cardiology, neurosciences, liver and heart transplants and pediatrics, among other areas. Ochsner is consistently named both the top hospital and top children’s hospital in Louisiana by U.S. News & World Report. The not-for-profit organization is inspiring healthier lives and stronger communities. Its focus is on preventing diseases and providing patient-centered care that is accessible, affordable, convenient and effective. Ochsner Health pioneers new treatments, deploys emerging technologies and performs groundbreaking research, including over 700 clinical studies. It has more than 36,000 employees and over 4,600 employed and affiliated physicians in over 90 medical specialties and subspecialties. It operates 47 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers across Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Gulf South; and its cutting-edge Connected Health digital medicine program is caring for patients beyond its walls. In 2021, Ochsner Health treated more than 1 million people from every state and 75 countries. As Louisiana’s top healthcare educator, Ochsner Health and its partners educate thousands of healthcare professionals annually. To learn more, visit www.ochsner.org.