St. Thomas Community Health Center (“St. Thomas”) was founded in 1987 by a small group of members of the Catholic and Episcopal religious communities, including Dr. Donald T. Erwin, who continues as the CEO today. The clinic began operations in the former St. Thomas Housing Development in the Irish Channel, moved to its current main clinic location on Magazine Street in 1991, and today has expanded to multiple locations throughout the Greater New Orleans area, on both the East and West banks of the Mississippi River.

STCHC offers a full range of healthcare services that includes primary care, pediatrics, perinatal care, mental health counseling, optometry services and women’s health care. STCHC also offers specialty care in the areas of child and adult psychiatry and counseling, gastroenterology, rheumatology, and cardiology. Of the community-based health care centers in New Orleans, St. Thomas is one of only a few providers with a dedicated team of infectious disease specialists, working to treat and prevent the spread of diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C. STCHC patient base is 86% minority, and 6 out of 10 board members are minority as well.

True to St. Thomas’ mission of providing health care services for those who need it most, St. Thomas’ overall clinical payer mix is 60.1% Medicaid, 19.1% Medicare, 9.2% commercial insurance, and 11.6% uninsured.  The vast majority of St. Thomas’ patients are Black, with a growing Latinx patient population.  Annually, St. Thomas (STCHC) serves approximately 20,000 distinct patients and handles approximately 76,000 patient visits.

In May of 2023, in partnership with Gulf Coast Housing Partnership and US Bank, Crescent closed on a $5.5M Federal NMTC financing, and in March of 2024, in partnership with Enhanced Capital Partners and US Bank, Crescent closed on a $5M Louisiana State NMTC financing to construct two new facilities to significantly expand services and improve accessibility:

• Garden District – A $5.1 million clinic will include primary care, behavioral health at the site, pediatrics, access to the pharmacy next door at 2010 Magazine, women’s health, access to other services located across the street at 1936 Magazine Street and 1020 St Andrew including infectious diseases, optometry and mammography services. This new 6,092 SF facility is expected to serve 7,680 patients and handle approximately 19,200 visits on an annual basis.
• Algiers – A $1.8 million clinic will include primary care, behavioral health at the site, pediatrics, and women’s health. This new 4,596 SF facility is expected to serve 4,800 patients and handle approximately 12,000 visits on an annual basis.

Without the NMTC financing it may otherwise be less fiscally viable to pursue such an initiative.  This financing will greatly assist in bringing needed healthcare services to the low-income population. St. Thomas’s two new facilities plan on creating 17 to 22 new jobs as a result of the project.