mission & vision

To empower women and children at the New Orleans Women and Children's Shelter to be proactive with their health and wellness by providing health education and physician-student run medical clinics.

We are a student-run program created to improve women and children's access to health care and health education. The New Orleans Women & Children's Shelter (NOWCS) houses about 65 women and 130 children for an average stay of 4 months. We are an Interprofessional School Alliance (IPSA)-approved project where students from LSU professional schools, including Allied Health, Dentistry, Graduate Studies, Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health, along with Xavier's Pharmacy school, teach health education programs at NOWCS for the women and kids there. For medical services, the women and their families are invited to monthly free clinics, where physician-student teams take vital signs, obtain medical histories, perform physical exams, and counsel patients. Vitamins are distributed, and basic over-the-counter medications are on hand. Any follow-up appointments are also made at St. Thomas so that the family will have a relationship with a primary care provider upon leaving NOWCS. We have also partnered with the Louisiana Breast and Cervical program to provide free breast exams, mammograms, and pap smears. 

UPCOMING EVENTS

NOWCS Outreach Program was chosen as an Albert Schweitzer Fellowship project for both 2015 & 2016.

INFORMATION

volunteering

There are many different ways that you can volunteer with us. Find out how by contacting us with your name and information.

recent programs

This past month, NOWCs women have learned about different types of contraceptives as well as how to practice safe and healthy sex, while the kids celebrated upcoming Thanksgiving holidays by writing what they are thankful for on pumpkins.