- Support Access Health Louisiana on GiveNOLA Day! Schedule your donation for May 7, 2019.
- DONATE NOW!
Health Center
Fax: (504) 304-4237
August 10 – May 25
7:30 am – 3:30 pm Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri
Closed Sat, Sun
Primary Care: well checks, immunizations, sports physicals, acute and diagnostic services ect.
Behavioral Health: counseling and support services for stress and anger management, dealing with anxiety, bullying substance abuse, grief counseling and communication. This Wellness Center also offers bilingual staff.
Carla Struck-Knighten
Alvin Anderson
Brittney Turner
Flu Shots are now available at the Wellness Center. Call or sign up today at the clinic for your flu shot!
Access Health Louisiana opened the Cohen School-Based Health Center in Orleans Parish post Hurricane Katrina. The health center is located on the first floor of the main campus near the cafeteria. It serves the student populations of both Cohen College Prep and Crocker Middle School, as well as faculty and staff. Students can visit the health center by scheduling appointments during non-core curriculum class time or during lunch. Parents can call the health center and request that their child receive immunizations or check-ups by communicating information to the Medical Assistant or Nurse Practitioner on staff. All students must have a current consent and enrollment form on file at the health center in order to be seen by medical staff. Consent and enrollment forms are sent home at the beginning of the school year; however, parents may sign their child up at any time during the year. You can download copies of both forms from this webpage or obtain a copy through the school office.
Nurse Practitioner Carla Knighten providers primary care services for students including: well checks, immunizations, sports physicals, acute and diagnostic services. Mrs. Knighten loves working in school-based health. She also speaks fluent Spanish. She is assisted by Brittney Turner, her medical assistant. Ms. Turner also serves as front desk administrator for the clinic. Licensed Clinical Social Worker Alvin Anderson offers counseling and support services to students including: stress and anger management, dealing with anxiety, bullying, substance abuse, grief counseling and communication.
Co-payments are waived for all students and faculty/staff enrolled at our health center. Commercial insurances including Medicaid and Medicare are accepted. Students who are uninsured can also receive care with a consent and enrollment form on file with the health center. Any medications prescribed for your child may be filled through our Access Health Louisiana Pharmacy and delivered to your home. We also work with nearby Walgreens and CVS pharmacies and can have most prescriptions filled at a discounted rate.
Students needing emergency care after school hours, please call 9-1-1. You may also visit our community health centers in New Orleans, the South Broad Community Health Center is located at 3300 South Broad Street and Access Health Louisiana Primary Care at the Pythian is located at 234 Loyola Avenue. The South Broad CHC is open Monday-Thursday 8am-4:30pm and Friday 8am-Noon. Access Health Louisiana Primary Care at the Pythian is open Monday-Wednesday 8am-4:30pm, Thursday 10am-6pm and Friday 8am-Noon.
HRSA has recognized Access Health Louisiana (AHL) with a 2018 Quality Improvement Award. As a health center quality leader, AHL achieved the best overall clinical performance among all health centers, placing in the top 30 percent of the adjusted quartile rankings for Clinical Quality Measures. Keep in mind, AHL is in the top 30 percent of the 1,400 health centers that operate more than 11,000 service delivery sites that provide primary health care in every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Pacific Basin. AHL operates the Cohen School-Based Health Center.
Heat Dangers for Student Athletes by Carla Knighten, FNP
The summer in New Orleans is hot and humid. For this reason, athletes must take precautions when exercising. To regulate its temperature during exertion, the body must be able to dissipate heat. But the elevated heat and humidity of summer makes it hard for the body to do this. Exercise associated muscle cramps, exercise associated collapse, heat exhaustion, heat injury and exertional heat stroke are all forms of exertional heat illness that can occur when people exert themselves in hot temperatures. Symptoms range from muscle cramps, syncope, weakness, headache, vomiting and diarrhea to central nervous dysfunction, organ and tissue damage and cardiac arrest.
Risk factors for exertional heat illness (EHI) include (O’Connor, F. G., Danzl, D. F. & Grayzel, J. 2017): participating in strenuous exercise in high heat and humidity, decreased ability of the body to improve its response and tolerance of heat stress over time, not being physically fit, being overweight, being dehydrated and having an acute illness.
Some medicines that may predispose people to exertional heat illness are (O’Connor, F.G., Danzl, D. F. & Grayzel, J. 2017): Anticholinergic agents, Antiepileptic agents, Antihistamines, Decongestants, Phenothiazines, Tricyclic antidepressants, Amphetamaines, Ergogenic stimulants, Lithium, Diuretics, Beta blockers and Ethanol.
In order to prevent heat illness, institutions should have prevention policies including an emergency action plan and the staff and athletes should be educated about EHI. Other ways of preventing EHI is to stay fit throughout the summer, to stay hydrated before, during and after exercising, to break frequently during exercise for hydration and cooling, to practice early in the morning or late at night when it is less hot or exercise indoors, and to wear clothing that allows ventilation. According to O’Connor and Casa (2017), athletes should drink 6ml of fluid per KG of body mass every two to three hours starting approximately four to six hours before exercising.
Note: Requests can be made during the school year. If school is not in session, please contact another nearby AHL community health center for assistance.
