Touro Partners with City of New Orleans on Women's Health Initiative

NEW ORLEANS — The City of New Orleans today announced Healthy Women New Orleans, a partnership with Touro to provide health screenings and wellness resources to improve maternal health. Through this partnership, a free community health series will be offered at various New Orleans public library branches. At each event, women will be provided with free blood pressure screenings, a consultation with a Touro healthcare provider, and information about a number of programs offered by the New Orleans Health Department and other City agencies.

"At the Health Department, we know the seriousness of high blood pressure. According to our 2019 Community Health Assessment, high blood pressure was one of the top five health-related issues of most concern to residents," said Health Director Dr. Jennifer Avegno. "Because the health of our families is strongly tied to women's health, it is so important for women to have many ways to access care and receive support to maximize personal health and wellness."

"The Office of Youth and Families was uniquely designed to convene stakeholders across sectors to develop innovative solutions to complex challenges. The pursuit of health equity can only be achieved through persistently leveraging community voice and community assets," said Office of Youth and Families Deputy Director Camille A. Alexander. "Libraries are an invaluable asset to the community that can increase accessibility to health care resources and information."

"Touro understands the severity of maternal morbidity and mortality at both a national and local level and is committed to being part of the solution and improving maternal health for women in our community. We are honored to join the City of New Orleans in this initiative and hope to grow this partnership to continue improve community health," said Manny Linares, Touro President and CEO.

"Libraries are trusted community spaces where people can be connected to credible resources. Helping parents gain access to the health care and health information resources they and their families deserve is all part of a day’s work at the New Orleans Public Library and we are proud to serve as that bridge to better health outcomes for all," said New Orleans Public Library Interim Director Jessica Styons.

The goal of hosting these health events at public libraries is to create easy access to healthcare professionals and healthcare resources. Through this partnership, Touro and the City of New Orleans hope to identify hypertension in women and connect them to the care they need. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the leading cause of pregnancy complications and can cause problems during and after delivery.

According to the CDC, high blood pressure is present in 1 in every 12 to 17 pregnancies among women ages 20 to 44. These complications, known as maternal morbidity, are unexpected outcomes of labor and delivery that result in short- or long-term consequences to a woman's health. Early identification and intervention are critical to preventing serious complications.

Screening dates and locations

• Saturday, Sept. 28, 10 a.m-12 p.m. – East New Orleans Regional Library
• Saturday, Oct. 5, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. – Norman Mayer Library
• Saturday, Oct. 12, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. – Nora Navra Library
• Saturday, Oct. 26, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library
• Saturday, Nov. 2, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. – Alvar Library
• Saturday, Nov. 9, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. – Algiers Regional Library