The American Heart Association in Greater New Orleans, along with local community collaborators from the Strategic Wellness Initiative, recently enhanced the offerings of the I Deserve It! Wellness Hub at the Ashé Cultural Arts Center by providing resources that will enable local residents to access a variety of free health resources and education in a single location that includes:
-A self-monitoring blood pressure center with blood pressure devices, instructions on how to use them accurately, educational materials, and a list of community health centers and health care professionals;
-A CPR training and education session for staff and volunteers,
-An AED (automated external defibrillator) on location; and
-A Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP), which establishes the specific steps to reduce death from cardiac arrest in any setting.
“We are thrilled to be collaborating with the American Heart Association in Greater New Orleans to further build the capacity of this multifaceted wellness hub at the Ashé Cultural Arts Center for our community members,” said Avis Gray, RN, BSN, community health director, Ashé Cultural Arts Center. “This hub will deliver essential healthcare resources directly to communities by removing transportation barriers and expanding access to life-saving resources and education.”
I Deserve It! is a collaborative effort among the American Heart Association, Ashé Cultural Arts Center, and New Orleans East Hospital, along with the New Orleans Health Department, Metropolitan Human Services District, and Tulane School of Medicine.
The wellness hub will provide ongoing free health screenings and testing every Wednesday, Friday, and the second Saturday each month. Through additional collaboration with the Ashé Cultural Arts Center and LCMC Health, we will help address numerous key health issues that face the New Orleans community: