Martin Luther King Health Center

The Martin Luther King Health Center is a great asset to the community. From it's beginnings in the Shreveport Bottoms to their pending move to the historic area of Shreveport, the Health Center has graciously shared their resources to those in need and have improved the quality of life for many who may not have otherwise been able to access any health care. The board and staff has done an awesome job in moving this organization forward and providing services to the community. I look forward to working with this organization in the future. I love them!

WOW, this is just a great place to work, volunteer and to be a patient. The staff are so friendly and genuinely caring. The volunteers love learning about patient care, how to take vitals and learn how to chart properly. Our patients, that have chronic health conditions that need to be managed, such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, etc, can get the care they need and prescription medication for free. The services we provide are vital to our patients that can't afford health insurance. This care is provided by volunteer health care providers (doctors, nurses, NP's), grants to fund staff positions, volunteers, pharmaceutical companies and donations from the community.

I personally love sitting down with patients and helping them one-on-one learn about resources available in the community and at the MLK Health Center. I also love getting hugs from people who have been referred to so many other places before us and we are finally able to get them the help they need. It's a very rewarding position and I am truly glad to have the opportunity to work there and meet new people everyday. I encourage others that want a chance to give back to the community to contact us about volunteering. The impact we have on our patients is truly life saving and life changing.

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to the Martin Luther King Health Center for their participation in our annual Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Health Fair. I also would like to recognize some of their exceptional staff members; Jason Geslois, Christina Copeland and Marilu Ortiz. Because of the support that we're given by organizations like yours, this year 40 college students will receive funds to assist them in completing their education and getting a college degree.
Ebru Waters
Health Chair
Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Inc.

This place does a wonderful job, with limited resources, providing services to those in need. I am glad that they are able to do this important work in our community and to provide these services to people that might otherwise go without them.

I truly did not realize that the higher call in my career would be experienced by working at the MLK Health Center. I have never witnessed a healthcare agency able to do so much with so little! The patients definitely touch my heart and serving them gives sustenance to my soul. Whenever I encounter a "challenging" need in one of my patients there, I take it to Janet and her staff who all work to get that need met. I am constantly in awe of the impact that we have on patients so in need. I am honored to be part of the solution to that problem!

The Affordable Health Care, will still not address the health care needs of many individuals. Organizations such as the Martin Luther King Health Center will continue to fill the void. Thank god for the physicians, nurses, and other health care workers willing to donate time. Considering the MLKHC provided over $1.5 million in medications for free last year, where would these individuals be without us. As the MLKHC moves forward in its new facility the work of many volunteers will continue to be needed, and as we look forward to providing more services. What organizations gets more 'bang for its buck!"

it is a pleasure to serve an organization that truly has a heart for the medically underserved in Louisiana.

I have volunteered at this clinic for three years so far, and the work that they do is great! I'm a college student trying to make it in to medical school, and the quality of care they've exposed me to is excellent. Their organization is definitely one that makes patients comfortable, educates others to be healthy, and fills a hole in medical care that is often forgotten about. Five out of five stars, for sure!

MLK provides a much needed service to the community it serves. Most, if not all, of the patients do not have insurance or an adequate income to pay for health care. Not only does MLK meet their health needs but it also serves as a place to train future health care professionals. As a nurse practitioner student, I have received tons of priceless experience at MLK.

MLK serves an important role in our community, making a difference in the lives of so many. This clinic reperesents access that many would not have to health care. It represents a learning environment for students and patients alike. It represents a place for volunteers to feel welcome to give back to the community. It's legacy continues to grow. Sr. Margaret would be proud!

I started out at the MLK clinic as part of a school assignment, but I stayed at the clinic for the patients, other volunteers, and full time staff. The clinic is an amazing place that is filled with hope and love. Every time I work I get to meet someone new and I get to hear their story! The staff at the MLK clinic is absolutely wonderful and a great joy to be around. They are so welcoming and caring for the volunteers and the patients. What I got with my volunteer was defiantly not what I expected and I can't wait to see what the future hold for the clinic and the patients we see.

The MLK Health Center has created a unique model that threads community into the very fabric of their organization. Patients are considered friends. Doctors are cheerleaders rallying for patient success. Volunteers are part of the family. Every member of the organization comes together to fill a desperate need in our community: chronic care management for our uninsured and underinsured. In addition to generating outstanding returns on investment the clinic offers real success stories. I volunteered with the clinic for over a year. In that time I was not only giving back to my community, I was building community too.

Review

I started working with the Martin Luther King Health Center when I was looking for a project for some of my students. I didn’t know much about them when I started. They’ve impressed me at every turn. The center runs very smoothly. Patients get a chance to talk with each other while they wait to see the doctor. Since many patients have chronic conditions, they see each other regularly. The doctors and nurses can take their time with each patients. They get to know each other see the progress everyone makes. As a result, the center feels more like a community than many health care facilities. Because of this environment, the patients follow their doctor’s advice and they get better.

As my students and I worked with the center, we’ve learned more about the details. The Martin Luther King Health Center provides an amazing return on investment. For every dollar spent at the center, they return $23 in value to the community. We’ve talked with patients who were injured, so they couldn’t work, and because they didn’t have a job, they didn’t have health insurance so they couldn’t get treated. By providing the uninsured with free health care, the center enabled the patients to get healthy and return to work. The care the Martin Luther King Health Center provides can keep people from having to choose between buying their medicines and paying their rent. The service they provide is crucial for the patients and good for our community.

I’d highly recommend working with the Martin Luther King Health Center in whatever way way you can. They have plans for expansion. They have many joint programs working with different populations, such as HOPE for the Homeless and St. Luke’s Episcopal Mobile Medical Ministry. There is definitely a place for you.

As a volunteer at Martin Luther King Health Center, I have had the opportunity to see first hand the quality care and education patients are receiving. Healthcare volunteers are able to take their time educating and answering any patient questions. Written information and handouts are available upon request and provided as needed. There is a volunteer who specializes in diabetic dietary teaching and those sessions are available to all patients who come through the door. Families are welcome to come and sit with their family member in the waiting room. There is an on site translator so that language barrier is not an issue. MLK welcomes all patients with open arms and the staff is constantly working to obtain and provide for the best health care opportunities for its patients. Volunteering at MLK is truly a life changing experience as I have always left at the end of the day feeling like I have made a great difference in someone's life.

I spent a good chunk of my time at the Martin Luther King Health Center checking in patients and helping them with dosage instructions for their prescriptions. I met some amazing people with interesting stories, and I knew that the staff and volunteers who spent time at the Health Center were making a tangible difference in the Shreveport community. The staff at the Health Center showed dedication and passion in all facets of their work. They are an outstanding nonprofit, and I expect they will continue to do great things for Shreveport citizens.

The Martin Luther King Health Center is by far the best clinic that I have ever volunteered at. I tried different places around this area when I moved here, and it didn't take me long to find which was the most organized, instructive, and efficient for the patient population. This community is very lucky to have the MLK Clinic and would be greatly benefited if there were more around. Not only is the healthcare top-notch, from local physicians and nurse practitioners volunteering their time, but also, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians also contribute their time, during the clinic, in ensuring that no mistakes are made with the patients' medications, which is very important. Furthermore, each patient is thoroughly-instructed on how to take their medication and the schedules which they should keep, also very important, especially in this population of patients, where literacy is lower than average. Patients are also instructed on their diseases and lifestyle changes they should pursue to ensure sustainable health.

An unbelievable organization...dedicated doctors, nurses, staff.
They provide one of the greatest services in our community.
Not only are they keeping patients well, but they are terrific educators.
How lucky we are to have this organization in our city!