REACH NOLA Collaborations

The REACH NOLA Health and Resilience Project is an innovative, sustainable effort to bring together grassroots community members, non-profits, service providers, faith-based organizations, the academic community, and funders to address the New Orleans mental health crisis since the Katrina disaster.

Participating organizations and individuals work collaboratively to develop and provide culturally-relevant, evidence-based services for stress, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Since August 2007, when this project began, partnering organizations have launched a number of new collaborative activities through their involvement in the Health and Resilience Project:

Talk It Out Van

• The "Talk It Out" Van is a mobile counseling van. Professionals are available on the van to work on and talk out concerns and important life topics. They can also provide health information and referrals.
• The Van goes to the people rather than the people coming to get a service. This aspect is critical post-Katrina due to the continued hurried schedules of many people attempting to deal with school, work, and housing issues, to name a few. Current locations are the Jefferson Parish Care Center in Marrero (Mondays), the St. Bernard Community Center in Arabi (Tuesdays), and the New Orleans Free Academy (Thursdays).
• The Talk It Out Van is a collaborative pilot project among the Episcopal Diocese's Office of Disaster Response, the St. Thomas Wellness Center, St. Anna’s Episcopal Church and Medial Mission, Trinity Counseling and Training Center and Sixth Baptist Church.

Help for the Helper: Identifying Factors of Worker Burnout (HELP)

• This project seeks to identify the factors that contribute to employee burnout, specifically burnout among employees that work in "helper organizations" in post-Katrina New Orleans ("helper organizations" include organizations that provide services including churches, clinics, social services organizations, etc.).
• Employees in participating organizations complete a confidential survey related to workplace stressors. Their responses are complied into profile reports for each organization and into a large report for the region that compares local responses to national benchmarks.
• With information from the regional profile, partners will research available community resources and recommend an action plan to incorporate evidence based, best-practice interventions at a community and organizational level to address workforce burnout in New Orleans.
• Help for the Helper: Identifying Factors of Worker Burnout (HELP) pilot project consists of a collaborative partnership between St. Anna’s Episcopal Church and Medial Mission, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans and the Behavioral Health Action Network, Louisiana Public Health Institute.

Drum Circles Project

• Drum circle sessions are designed to promote the mental, spiritual and physical health and well-being of New Orleanians of all ages and backgrounds by promoting participation in their city’s drumming culture in combination with group counseling.
• Groups consist of three drumming rounds consisting of topics such as dealing with stress, anger, depression, loss, as well as group-generated topics. Every group begins and ends with a positive theme and using drumming as a way of achieving relaxation and a sense of well-being.
• The Drum Circles Project is a partnered project between New Orleans Drum Connection led by Ken "Afro" Williams and Dr. Janet Johnson of Tulane University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Israelite Baptist Church, St. Anna Episcopal Church and Trinity Counseling and Training Center.

Victims of Violence Groups

• The purpose of this program is to promote the healing and recovery process for victims of violence in the New Orleans area. The program is open to people who have survived a violent act, who have witnessed violence or whose loved one has died from violence.
• This program will provide a basis for sharing similar experiences, exploring emotions and reactions and giving support to each other and with the assistance of a trained counselor.
• This program is a partnered effort between St. Anna Episcopal Church and Medical Mission, Israelite Baptist Church, Trinity Counseling and Training Center and 6th Baptist Church/St. Thomas Health Clinic.