Lanette Williams-Lee: My name is Mrs. Lanette Williams-Lee and I am a licensed, registered social worker for the State of Louisiana, a licensed beautician for the State of Louisiana, and I also hold a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. I am now a candidate for a Master’s degree in the Graduate program in Social Work at the Southern University of New Orleans, and I hope to obtain this degree in 2011. I was born and raised and educated here in New Orleans. I attended Orleans Parish schools, graduated and went on to college and received my degree and perfected my trade as a licensed hairdresser for over 30 years. I then lost my entire business to Katrina. I came to Common Ground after Katrina in September and October 2005. We were trapped in, and the medics came in and Noah Morris happened to find my family, and told us about this clinic. I am the wife of Mr. Anthony Lee who hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, and the mother of two daughters: Sunsiray, 22, and Kateria, 19, and the proud grandmother of London Inell Honore. My position here at CGHC has been mostly outreach in the community and I partner with New Orleans Food and Farm Network. We are growers in the community: we grow front and back yard gardens and I have a food talk poster and map to my credit from working with this organization. I taught the cooking program at O. Perry Walker High School for two years, which was the “Savory Spoon” cooking program for young adults. I taught the importance of nutritional eating, cooking and the right to food justice, and learning to grow food too. I also collaborate with the Heritage Village and the Craige Cultural Center, and we come together as nonprofits to bring about awareness in the community and for fundraising events. There are many photos on this website of the Teche street garden, and we continue to grow and make fire cider each year. Thank you and be well. Narda Hernandez- Dias: My name is Narda Hernández-Dias, and I was born in the US-Mexico border in the city of Laredo, TX. I am 26 years old, and I have been working in the city of New Orleans since 2007. I have had the privilege of completing a year of service through Americorps VISTA at Tulane Community Health Center at Covenant House and then was selected as a New Voices Fellow for the transformation of the Gulf Coast. During my two years during 2008 through 2010 as a fellow at the Common Ground Health Clinic, I focused on creating a language support system for providers and patients alike and maintained our clinical outreach services component. I have also supported the expansion of language access by inviting interpreters to participate in local trainings as well as to participate as trained interpreters for community events and workshops.
I plan to continue serving as a Clinical interpreter as well as the Latino Health Outreach Project Coordinator. Beginning in June 7, 2010, I began to offer Social Services support to the clinic after being cross trained by Nasha and hope to do so through her maternity leave until the clinic sees fit. I enjoy doing the application process for patient assistance programs, and would like to see how I can incorporate this long term into my job description if the clinical team sees fit. I am also really interested in becoming a midwife and am currently receiving a scholarship to train as a community doula through the Birthing Project USA where we work with expecting mothers and their families for a final outcome of healthy moms and healthy babies.
Jeannie Mason-Marshall was born in New Orleans. She graduated from John Ehret High School, and went to Dillard University for Nursing. She also is currently in school at Delgado Community College pursuing her career as a Radiologist. Her interests include community health education and quality health services for all. In 2005 Jeannie started working at Ocshner Hospital as Patient Care Tech. She was primarily assigned to the Orthopedic floor. She also worked as a pool nurse on various floors of the hospital. Mrs. Mason-Marshall currently works at Common Ground Health Clinic, providing quality healthcare for uninsured and low income families as Medical Assistant /Nursing Assistant.
Amy Seifert: I was living in my hometown of Girdwood, Alaska when I began studying herbs in 2004. My interest was sparked by the realization that the plants I grew up with had many uses I was ignorant of. My studies brought me across the country to apprentice with herbalists at the Blue Ridge School of Herbal Medicine in North Carolina, then the Northwest School of Botanical Medicine in Western New York. When the opportunity arose to become a volunteer at the Common Ground Health Clinic I felt very excited and lucky to have the chance to work in the clinic and live in New Orleans. In places where healthcare is scarce, spreading the knowledge of herbal medicine is especially appropriate. Anyone can pick the herbs and make the teas and take control of their health while learning about the plants, the forest and the body. My goal in being a clinical herbalist is to help people bring their bodies into balance and therefore relieve their symptoms and diseases using nutrition, exercise, lifestyle, and herbs. Since 2007 I have been working at the clinic and building a life in New Orleans. I am registered with the American Herbalists Guild as a Professional Herbalist. I feel excited to be working alongside doctors and nurses, providing good health care at low cost and I look forward to the future of integrative medicine at CGHC.
Becs Griffiths: My background is in women's health. I have been a member of a women's health collective in the UK for the last 9 years. This was inspired by the 70's feminist health movement which reinvigorated the politics of self-help. We have taught many workshops and organized 3 European women's health conferences. During this time I started to use local herbs for self treatment but realized that I wanted to know more so went back to university. I qualified in January 2010 as a Medical Herbalist, from a London University, after a four year degree with an education in clinical medicine and herbal medicine. During this time I heard about the Common Ground Health Clinic and was very excited about the idea of integrative health care being provided in a free clinic by medical staff alongside herbalists and acupuncturists. I came here in 2007 for 3 months in my summer break but I had to return to study. I came back as soon as I was qualified in 2010 and have been working here ever since. I hope to return to England in the future to open an herbal clinic with an emphasis on affordable herbal healthcare and self help educational classes focusing on basic herbal treatments and preventative healthcare.
Anne Mulle was born and raised in New York. She has over 8 years experience in nursing. She is currently the clinic manager and a primary care provider at Common Ground Health Clinic. She was initially a volunteer at the clinic as it was being established during the weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the GulfCoast. Ms. Mulle received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from GeorgetownUniversity and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from ColumbiaUniversity. She received a Masters in Science from the University of California, San Francisco. Ms. Mulle is a certified family nurse practitioner committed to addressing barriers to healthcare access and healthcare reform.
Rachael Reeves: I'm a farm girl from Western North Carolina. From 2000 to the present I have apprenticed with five different herbalists and with the support of CGHC I am now a Registered Herbalist with the American Herbalists Guild. When Katrina hit I wanted to help support New Orleans, knowing that a disaster without support from the government could only lead to extended psychological devastation. I knew my apothecary and skills would be useful. I am still volunteering at the CGHC today. I am southerner and a folk herbalist, dedicated to keeping in the tradition of Western Folk Herbalism with an emphasis on Southern Folk Herbalism. The lineage of Southern Folk Herbalism, so deep and eloquent in its gracefulness and simple sophistication, is a tradition that cannot be lost! Herbalism is a medicine for the people and should stay in the hands of the people. It is a wisdom that has stood the test of time and is on the rise again. I have full appreciation of the modern medical system and believe that traditional, alternative modalities and modern medicine should support each other and the health of the people. I feel that moving in this direction will turn the focus of our healthcare system to a wellness and prevention approach rather than an illness management approach. I want for traditional and alternative modalities to be in, or at least referred to in, a primary healthcare setting to give people options and more perspectives on their health.
Wendy Hounsel has been volunteering with CGHC since 2006 and has helped hugely to establish and shape the herbalism program. She is currently on leave to concentrate on nursing school. We look forward to having her back soon!
Phyillis D Light is the collaborating mentor of CGHC’s integrative/ herbal program since 2007. She is a fourth generation Southern Folk Herbalist, specializing in traditional diagnostic tools, views of body systems, body types and plants. Phyllis has helped us grasp just how profound this tradition is and this has deepened our understanding of plants and the body.
Anna Flores graduated from Scoula Superiore per Interpreti e Traduttori di Roma, Italy, with a Bachelor’s degree in translation English, Italian and Spanish. She went to the Universidad Tecnologica de Honduras to pursue a Publicist Degree. She moved to New Orleans and work for one of the largest retailer corporation as sales associate and customer service. In 2008 Anna participated in various Medical Interpreting training seminars. Mrs. Flores worked at St Thomas Community Health Clinic as community outreach educator, especially educating women in prevention and early detection of Breast and Cervical Cancer. Anna also volunteered at St Anna`s Mission as an interpreter and helping patients during registration, and has also volunteered at the Women`s Clinic. Anna is currently Front Desk Manager and a Medical Interpreter at Common Ground Health Clinic, helping to provide quality healthcare for uninsured and low income families.
Lucien Bruno hails from Columbia, South Carolina. In 2004 he came to New Orleans as an undergraduate of Tulane University majoring in Latin American Studies and Spanish. He first became interested in interpreting when Narda Hernandez, then an Americorps Vista, recruited him to intern at the Tulane Community Health Center at Covenant House. For a semester he had the invaluable opportunity to learn a profession while interacting with the burgeoning Hispanic population of New Orleans in the healthcare setting. Following graduation in 2008, he was awarded a travel grant through Tulane’s Center for Public Service. In preparation for his trip he waited tables at Commander’s Palace and sat in on Portuguese courses at his Alma Mater. For two months he traveled through Brazil as a research assistant, staying with migrants who had returned to their home country after working in post Katrina New Orleans and documenting their stories. Lucien has spent three summers as a counselor and a school bus driver at an outdoor youth camp in the Colorado Rockies. He also enjoyed a brief stint as a sailboat deckhand delivering a tallship schooner from Baltimore to the Bahamas. His interests include Latin America, urban planning and travel. He is an avid bike rider and never misses a chance to play Ultimate (Frisbee!). Lucien is very excited to join the Common Ground family and looks forward to perfecting his craft as a medical interpreter in Spanish and Portuguese.
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