A Healthy Nola

A message from National Collegiate Volunteers:


National Collegiate Volunteers (NCV), a group of student volunteers from Tufts and Brandeis Universities, is developing an online health care database, A Healthy Nola (www.ahealthynola.org). It promises to be the health care resource for the Orleans and Jefferson Parishes when it is released to the public January 2010. Our database will have over 160 clinics, 70 hospitals, and hundreds of doctors on its website. Information on each health care provider includes location and hours, payment and insurances accepted, types of services offered, languages spoken, and more. Our database also has an easy-to-use search engine that reduces search results based on people’s condition (for example, diabetes), how much they want to pay, the distance from their home, and more. This will help people find the health care provider they need quickly and easily.

We hope that our database will give people many low-cost and free health care alternatives to emergency rooms. Our goal with the database ahealthynola is to make it easier for people to get affordable primary care so that we can create a healthier and happier New Orleans. For more information about ahealthynola, please check our website at http://www.nationalcollegiatevolunteers.org or email us at ngopal12@gmail.com. Look also for a more detailed article coming soon with the summer issue of the Trumpet.

NPN.LSU Community Organization Survey

CALLING ALL NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS!

NPN Needs Your Help!

NPN has partnered with LSU to survey community organization to identify the best, most effective strategies for community revitalization.

Your participation is crucial! In order to achieve accurate and useful results, we need detailed and direct information that only you can provide us with!

Here are your options for completing the survey:

A) To complete the survey on-line, please go to the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=wXl84Ov_2fdx_2fdt1ZSMsji4g_3d_3d

B) To print a copy of the survey and fill it out by hand please go to the following link: http://npn.music31.com/CMSuploads/LSU-NPN_New_Orleans_Community_Organization_Survey_9013220_-_090228.pdf

Please Note: When you are finished filling out the survey, please send an email to laura@npnnola.com indicating where the survey can be picked up.

C) Personal Appointment: For your convenience I, Laura Pryor, am available to fill out survey for your via phone or personal appointment. Please email me at laura@npnnola.com if this is your preferred option.

NPN.LSU Community Organization Survey Hall of Fame -- These organizations have ALREADY completed our survey

*Mid-City Neighborhood Organization

*Faubourg St. Roch Neighborhood Association

*Gentilly Terrace and Gardens Improvement Association

*Old Algiers Main Street Corporation

*Donner Estates Homeowner's Association

*Trinity Christian Community

*NHS

*Central City Renaissance Alliance

*North Rampart Main Street, inc

*statestreetdrive.com

*Gentilly Sugar Hill Neighborhood Association

*Faubourg Marigny Improvement Association

Kids Rethink New Orleans Schools: News Conference

Yesterday, NPN attended Rethink's new conference about their latest project, "Kids Will Eat It!", which aims to bring fresh, local food to New Orleans' public schools.

Rethinker Isaiah Simms presents the report

The news conference was run entirely by the Rethink students, who presented their reports and findings to the large crowd of assembled community members and news stations. The Rethinkers recently conducted a taste test for students consisting of food made from locally grown ingredients to prove that they are willing to eat healthy foods - as long as it's good. The top scoring dishes included chicken pot pie, fruit smoothie, zucchini bread, cucumber tomato salad, and sweet potato biscuit.

A taste of Rethink's project

Members of New Orleans' education system were invited to taste the dishes that Rethink hope will be introduced into the menu of public schools.

Guests from various school districts sample the food

Among the special guests were the superintendent of the Recovery School District, the executive director of LA Association of Charter Schools, and the principal of Williams elementary school.

Rethink interns Josh & Ambuir look on at the press conference they helped coordinate

Rethink also discussed its Rooftop Garden Project, a community garden maintained by kids, as well as the "Can You Match Matt?" campaign, which encouraged donors to match the $10,000 recently donated to Rethink by actor Matt Damon.

South Claiborne Avenue Streetscape Open House

Meeting Logistics
On June 8th at 6:30pm community members from the Central City, Broadmoor, and Milan neighborhoods gathered at the Second Zion Baptist Church #1 to participate in the South Claiborne Avenue Streetscape Open House.

The purpose of the meeting (as stated by the Department of Public Works) was to provide an: "Open house to view the schematic design of upcoming streetscape enhancements."

The meeting began with a welcome by Lavon Wright representing the Office of Recovery and Development Administration followed by an introduction from Robert Mendoza (Department of Public Works).

The Presentation
The City selected All South Consulting Engineers, LLC to design the streetscape improvements. Their presentation of the schematic designs lasted about five minutes. The design included improvements on the South Claiborne neutral ground between Napoleon and MLK.


The designer presented a neutral ground refurbished with a perimeter of oak trees, light posts resembling those on canal street (with banners), benches, trash receptacles, and sidewalk "bump outs."

In addition to the above improvements, the presentation included two options that residents were to choose from:
1) Option A - A path in Neutral Ground from Washington Avenue to Jackson Avenue
2) Option B - Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Extension (in lieu of walking path)

Community Feedback
After the presentation, Robert Mendoza gave the floor to the audience for questions. Residents were very critical of the brief presentation. The main critiques and questions were as follows:

• The necessity of ground lighting in the Neutral Ground -- residents were concerned that the streetlights would be inadequate to light Neutral Ground pathways and feared that the area would be unsafe.
• What plant species will be included in the Neutral Ground? -- residents requested that neutral ground species support wildlife.
• Can the Department of Public Works support a statue of Martin Luther King instead of a memorial?
  
• Can someone do something about the plastic signs littering electrical posts? -- Residents noted the eyesore and blight that the plastic signs caused and questioned why the City did not include their removal in the streetscape design.
• Why is the streetscape project just on the nuetral ground? A community input strategy distributed February 12th requested sidewalk improvements, bike baths, crosswalks, and bus shelters. These items were excluded from the streetscape design and residents requested to know why.

Whats Next?
Residents are encouraged to submit comments. Comments will be reviewed and a follow up meeting will be scheduled with modifications.

Photos from Gentilly Fest

Capacity College: Neighborhood Econ

Last Thursday was the final class of NPN's Capacity College, which was held at Dillard University. Educator fellows Valerie Robinson and Tilman Hardy gave a presentation on Neighborhood Economics that encompassed topics such as managing funds, sources for raising money, and smart community networking.

Although this was the last class, there is one more Capacity College event coming up. NPN will be having a celebration at the end of June for all of this year's participants, so stay tuned.

Summer updates

The next issue of The Trumpet is currently in the works!

It features articles on affordable housing, the new Rosenthal community resource center in St. Claude, and much more. We're hoping to have it printed by June 25, so keep an eye out for it.

On a side note:
Ted, the former editor-in-chief of The Trumpet, is no longer at NPN. I'm Tiffany, and I'll be working on putting together the paper. Feel free to email me about with any questions, comments, or concerns about The Trumpet! My email address is: tiffany@npnnola.com