Meshawn Tarver: Executive Director

Meshawn Tarver graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana and went on to graduate from GeorgeWashingtonUniversity with a Masters in Public Health. After her graduate studies, Meshawn returned to New Orleans and worked as the Senior Program Coordinator for Breastfeeding at Tulane Xavier National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health where she developed various breastfeeding programs educating the community, workplaces, health care providers and medical and public health students.  In particular she developed a lay health education program called the Mommy and Mentor Alliance (MAMA).
Meshawn went on to become the Louisiana Statewide Breastfeeding Peer Counselor Supervisor for the Louisiana WIC Program. Later she worked as the Director of Administration and Operations with the Youth Empowerment Project where she was instrumental in starting an educational program for at-risk and out-of school youth ages 16-24. Meshawn Tarver came on board as Executive Director of CGHC in July 2010.

Jarita Hagans: Family Practice Physician

Ronasheia Bates-Griffin: Social Work/ Social Services Liaison

Born and raised in New Orleans, Ronasheia Bates-Griffin graduated from JohnEhretHigh School. She went on to attend the University of New Orleans where she received her B.A. in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Sociology. In August of 2007 she was trained and certified by the Louisiana State Department of Health and Hospitals and the Louisiana Department of Social Services as a satellite office representative for Medicaid and State Social Services Enrollment and Education. She began her work in Social Work and Social Service Enrollment at Common Ground Health Clinic in October of 2008.
Ronasheia Bates-Griffin runs the non-profit organization New Orleans Salsa Dancers Inc. with her husband, where they teach social dance and dance as therapy. She is currently serving in the Louisiana Army National Guard where she has been doing so since November 1998.

Anna 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, and later moved to New Orleans and worked for one of the largest retail corporations in sales and customer service.
In 2008, Anna participated in Medical Interpreting training seminars throughout New Orleans. 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 Medical Mission as an interpreter and helping patients during registration, and has volunteered at the New Orleans Women’s Clinic. She has been with CGHC since 2008.

Jeannie Mason-Marshall: Medical Office Assistant /Triage Nurse

Born in New Orleans, Jeannie graduated from JohnEhretHigh School, and went to DillardUniversity and LTC (Jefferson Site) for Nursing. She also is currently in school at DelgadoCommunity College pursuing her career as a Radiologist. Her interests include community health education and quality health services for all.
Since completing her nursing studies, she has gained experience by working in hospitals, home health care settings and clinics. Jeannie has been with CGHC since 2008. She values each patient that she sees with care.                    

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 TulaneCommunityHealthCenter at Covenant House and then was selected as a New Voices Fellow for the transformation of the GulfCoast. 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.
Beginning in June 2010, I began to offer Social Services support to the clinic as well. 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. 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.

Anita Powell: Administrative Assistant

Upon graduating with the Winter class of 1968, I decided to attend the BrymanSchool for Medical Assistance. I later continued my education and became a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) and worked in all of the hospitals in Los Angeles, CA until the early 1990’s.  I’ve always had a love for the arts, and I began to paint ceramics and trained at WilmaRaeSchool for Millinery Design (Hat Design) in Los Angeles. 

I moved to New Orleans, LA in 1994 to care for my grandmother who lived to be 90 years old.  I taught Millinery Design at DelgadoCommunity College from 2000 through 2008. I now travel to other southern states and conduct “Hat-making” workshops when requested.

I first came to Common Ground Health Clinic in October 2005 to see a physician.  I was asked to volunteer at the clinic, which I did a couple times.  I returned to the clinic in 2008 to volunteer until 2010 and at that time was offered part-time employment.  During my time here at CGHC I have conducted “Hat-making” workshops for the patients and staff, which turned out to be fun and stress-relieving.  I continue to work as an Administrative Assistant and enjoy helping in whatever capacity I can for the clinic and community.

Noah Learned: Outreach and Graphic Design

Noah is a graduate of Kent State University, with a Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts. Noah worked as part of our Front Desk staff until Fall 2010, and is a member of the Outreach team at CGHC. He has been involved in many different kinds of social justice and community organizing. From Opelousas, Louisiana, Noah has lived in New Orleans since 2008. He first volunteered with the clinic a month after Hurricane Katrina. 

Lucien Bruno: Front Desk Assistant / Medical Interpreter 

Lucien hails from Columbia, South Carolina. In 2004 he came to New Orleans as an undergraduate of TulaneUniversity 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 TulaneCommunityHealthCenter 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’s 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 have joined the Common Ground family in 2010 and looks forward to perfecting his craft as a medical interpreter in Spanish and Portuguese.         

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.

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 began volunteering at the clinic in November 2005.
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.

I grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida, spent ten years in Atlanta, Georgia and moved to New Orleans with my two children in 2001. It was during our Hurricane Katrina evacuation in central Louisiana that I read a story on the internet about this amazing, all-volunteer clinic that had started up in Algiers, just a mile or so from where I lived in Algiers Point. That story was the first positive news I had seen related to Katrina, and I immediately made plans to come home and get involved.
I began volunteering at Common Ground in October 2005, first at the distribution center, and then, in November, at the clinic itself. I worked initially at the front desk, and then with other volunteers on event planning and community outreach. Over the years, my job has evolved to include maintaining our database of community resources and producing resource guides for the public, as well as publishing CGHC newsletters, brochures and other publications as needed.
I approach education from an unschooling perspective and seek out opportunities for informal, experience-based learning, for myself and for my children. Prior to working at CGHC, my professional background has been focused on working with children and youth, writing and self-publishing, and working numerous service industry jobs. From 2002-08, I served as the Director of Religious Education for the First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans, and I continue to direct Unitarian Universalist youth camps in the summertime, both here and in Massachusetts.

I was born and raised in New York City. I came to New Orleans to work with CGHC in 2006, and I have done all different kinds of jobs here ever since, from outreach to volunteer coordination to cleaning to intake and health education. I now maintain the website, help keep the resource guides updated, and help to plan events. I also work in the Emergency Room at Touro Infirmary as an ER Tech, and I am taking science classes part-time to apply to medical school this year. I have a Bachelor's Degree of Arts in Women's Studies from the State University of New York at Purchase. I hope to study to become an Integrative Medicine doctor, combining acupuncture and herbalism with Western medicine. In 2006, I thought I would be here for volunteering for two weeks, but I was so inspired by the way that people in New Orleans were and are addressing healthcare and racism together that I am still here more than four years later.

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, 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 2005. We were trapped in our home in Algiers, and the CGHC 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, partnering with New Orleans Food and Farm Network.  We are growers in the community: We grow front and back yard gardens and have collaborated on the Food Talk Poster and Food Map projects. I taught the cooking program at O. Perry Walker High School for two years, which was the “Savory Spoon” cooking program for young adults, teaching the importance of nutritious eating, cooking and the right to food justice, and learning to grow food, too. We also collaborate with Cathy Smith’s Ovah Da Rivah Village and the CraigeCulturalCenter, and we come together to bring about awareness in the community and for fundraising events. There are many photos on this website of the Teche street garden, where, with the CGHC Herbalists, we continue to grow and make fire cider each year.

 
Becs Griffiths: Herbalist

 
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 LondonUniversity, 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.  

Sharon is the daughter of two New Orleans natives, and her family has lived here for more than 5 generations.  She was born and raised in the community of Algiers and its surrounding areas.  In 1977 she relocated to San Francisco, CA where she attended BrymanSchool, studying as a Dental Assistant, and JohnAdamsCommunity College, studying as a Professional Home Health Aid. After 10 years she returned to New Orleans, Louisiana and enrolled in DelgadoCommunity College, JeffersonBusinessCollege, and LouisianaTechnicalCollege at different times, studying Electrocardiographic Technology, Paralegal Studies, Computer Skills, and in a Customer Service Program. While working as a department clerk for Hibernia National Bank in 1998, she relocated to Decatur, GA. 
In June of 2003, she returned to her birth home, once again working with various temporary agencies.  Her first assignment began at New OrleansCity hall, as a Receptionist for Councilwoman, Cynthia Willard-Lewis. After the devastating manmade disaster of Katrina, Sharon co-founded Common Ground Health Clinic and Common Ground Relief. She now works in Administrative Support and Community Outreach at CGHC.
Sharon coordinated the 2010 US Census Youth Involvement education and outreach Programs involving students from O. Perry Walker High School. Sharon enjoys granting her support wherever needed to the best of her ability.  She continues to fight for the human need for peace and justice for all, the just and unjust, the privileged and the underprivileged.

Kat Keane: Acupuncturist
Kathleen Keane graduated from the New Mexico School of Natural Theraputics in 1992. After working for many years as a Massage Therapist, she wanted to deepen her understanding of holistic healing to better serve her patients.
After experiencing the benefits of regular Acupuncture treatments herself, Kathleen decided to become an Acupuncturist. She recieved her Master of Science degree in Oriental Medicine in 2007 from the Oregon College of Oriental Medicine in Portland, Oregon. Seeing a need for more healthcare in New Orleans, coupled with a deep love of this city, she relocated here in 2010. She is excited at the opportunity to practice Acupuncture at Common Ground!
Kathleen is certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, CCAOM certified for clean needle technique, and is licensed to practice Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Louisiana and Oregon.

 The collaborating mentor of CGHC’s integrative/ herbal program since 2007, Phyllis 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.