New Clinic Brings Hope and Healing Right to New Orleans East Classrooms

Imagine a child in New Orleans East, juggling homework and the weight of the world, stepping out of class and into a doctor's office just down the hall. No bus rides across town, no waiting weeks for an appointment. Just real help, right there where the school bell rings.

That's the promise that unfolded today at the New Orleans East Opportunity Center, where NOLA Public Schools (NOLA-PS) is part of a game-changing partnership. The district's Superintendent, Dr. Fateama Fulmore, helped cut the ribbon on the city's first ThriveKids Community Clinic. It's a cozy, school-embedded spot that's set to wrap students in primary care and mental health support when they need it most.

"At NOLA Public Schools, we believe in, and work to uplift, every child's potential," said Dr. Fulmore. "We must work together with linked partners like Manning Family Children's to nurture the whole child, mind and body. Our partnership with ThriveKids helps make this possible by removing barriers and meeting kids where they are. The opening of this clinic is taking that commitment one important step further today."

For NOLA-PS, this isn't just another building; it's a lifeline. The clinic sits smack in the heart of the New Orleans East Opportunity Center, co-located with Educators for Quality Alternatives schools, serving hundreds of students who call New Orleans East home. But it doesn't stop at the school doors. The broader community gets in on it too, with walk-ins welcome for check-ups, counseling sessions, and everything in between.

Dr. Patrice Evers, Dr. Elizabeth Watkins, and Dr. Kimiyo Williams will handle the primary care — think shots, sore throats, and growth charts — five days a week. And for mental health help, like anxiety that keeps a teen up at night or grief that shadows a young heart, pediatric psychiatrist Dr. Cody Roi and licensed clinical social worker Patrick Riley stand ready with mental health expertise.

This push comes at a pivotal moment for NOLA-PS students. Last year alone, the ThriveKids program, a brainchild of Manning Family Children's that the district has championed since day one, delivered more than 20,000 mental health counseling sessions straight to NOLA-PS school campuses. A third of those students hail from New Orleans East, where half of the program's target schools, zeroed in on intensive support.

"The needs of our kids and communities are great, and although we've made significant progress, we know our work is never finished," said Lucio A. Fragoso, president and CEO of Manning Family Children's. "There are still thousands of children and families without access to these critical services — services that should be a basic necessity, not a luxury. Today, we're building upon this commitment."

It's a collaboration that's been brewing since ThriveKids launched in the thick of the COVID chaos back in 2020. What started as a pandemic lifeline, physicians and counselors showing up for students, has blossomed into a bold bridge between classrooms and clinics, tackling health hurdles head-on. NOLA-PS jumped in early, weaving the program into its fabric across 63 campuses, touching more than 5,100 students, and delivering coordinated care for more than 1,900 children. That's not just cold data; it's lives steadied, families held up, and futures cracked open just a little wider. Families can sign their child up online at manningchildrens.org/thrivekids, no red tape required.

In a city where PTSD rates run four times the national average, where children have weathered storms both literally and figuratively, this isn't optional work. "Our kids have faced storms that no child should endure," said Dr. Fulmore. "But through ThriveKids, we're helping them heal, build resilience, and step into their classrooms ready to unlock their full potential."

Dr. Mark Kline, the hospital's chief medical officer, couldn't hide his pride as he scanned the crowd of educators, parents, and pint-sized well-wishers. "This important expansion of access doesn't happen without the ongoing commitment of our academic partners from both LSU Health New Orleans and Tulane University School of Medicine," he said. "This academic, community-based clinic reflects our shared commitment to improve the health and wellbeing of all kids."

For NOLA-PS, the stakes feel personal. In a city still stitching itself back together after Hurricane Katrina's scars, where poverty and trauma linger, schools aren't just about learning the ABCs anymore. They're sanctuaries, and Dr. Fulmore's team knows it. "The holistic approach here aligns perfectly with what we're fighting for," she added later. "We're not waiting for problems to spill over. We're catching them early, in the places our students feel safest."

Manning Family Children's, the state's only freestanding children's hospital, brings serious muscle to the table. We're talking 70 years of know-how, 600 pediatric pros, and a sprawling network from Baton Rouge to the Gulf Coast.

In New Orleans East, where opportunity sometimes feels like a distant dream, help is nearby and echoes loud. Thanks to great community partners like ThriveKids, NOLA-PS can help all our students grow, achieve, and thrive both in the classroom and beyond. As Dr. Fulmore stood alongside NOLA-PS' partners ready to celebrate in the center's ribbon cutting, the scissor snipped, and the doors officially opened wide to a healthier, brighter tomorrow for NOLA Public Schools students and the whole New Orleans East community.

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