St. Charles Community Health Center (SCCHC) based in Luling, Louisiana, has provided quality, accessible primary healthcare services to their community’s uninsured and underinsured populations since 2002. Their network of five centers provides comprehensive services to more than 16,000 patients. Services include medical, dental, pediatric and WIC services, behavioral health care, and disease management for diabetic patients, including podiatry.

Women rely on SCCHC for obstetric and gynecologic care, including family planning services. Nutrition counseling, pap smears, breast exams, prenatal and post natal care, including treatment for postpartum depression, are all provided by SCCHC.

We had the opportunity to interview James Comeaux, the Chief Operating Officer, about his experience at SCCHC and the MCH programs offered by their health center.

Direct Relief: Tell us about your Maternal and Child Health Services program.

Comeaux: The new mom’s program at SCCHC provides education to new Moms in a group format that culminates in a baby shower for the participants that have come to all three education groups. They receive gifts and have a party celebrating their new baby. The education topics follow the pregnancy of the participants and include topics such as: nutrition, exercise, what to expect in the trimesters of pregnancy, talking with older siblings about the pregnancy, what to expect at birth, breast feeding, etc. We find that this is a great addition to our maternity program

Direct Relief: Do you foresee any changes to the program in the coming years?
Comeaux: We currently have funding for this program for the coming year and are constantly looking for additional ways to expand this program to more of our sites.

Direct Relief: What aspects of working at St. Charles do you find the most fulfilling?
Comeaux: I find our organization works hard at evolving and improving our current services while looking for additional community needs and creating programs and services to meet those needs. And we frequently meet community needs by partnering with other agencies and organizations which adds a sense of diversity to what we do. All services are open to those who have the least access to care, the uninsured and underinsured.

Direct relief has worked with SCCHC since 2005, after Hurricane Katrina. Visit SCCHC’s website to learn more about how they support the health of their community.