Baptist Community Health Services Nominated for Baptist Community Ministry's Katrina20 Grant: Vote Now!

Exciting news! BCHS has been nominated for the Baptist Community Ministries' Katrina 20 (K20) Grant, a major opportunity to invest in organizations making a difference in the communities hardest hit by Katrina, the 9^th Ward and St. Bernard Parish. If you know anything about BCHS, you know these two communities are where we carry out the majority of our operations, with 5 of our 6 sites calling these areas home and doing the daily work of demonstrating the love of Christ by providing high-quality medical, behavioral health, and dental care to those around us that we deem not only neighbors, but friends. We are fully invested in the long-term recovery and the long-term vitality of these two vibrant communities. Please vote for us!

Why This Matters — Our Mission in Action

New Orleans Baptist Ministries (NOBM) launched BCHS as one clinic (still in operation today) in the devastated Lower Ninth Ward when there were no medical or behavioral health services, schools, grocery stores, pharmacies, police or fire stations located there. While we have grown exponentially since that time, BCHS has remained committed to our why: showing the love of Christ through exceptional healthcare in communities left underserved after the storm. Our growth has stemmed from this why to continually get better at caring for our communities and increasing access to care services. Today:

• We operate six clinic sites and two mobile care units, with five of the brick-and-mortar sites located in the Lower Ninth Ward or St. Bernard Parish, ensuring convenient, close-to-home access for those who need us most.
• We serve patients regardless of insurance status or ability to pay, using a flexible sliding‑fee scale, so no one is ever turned away from receiving the care they need.
• Our holistic, patient-centered approach includes physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual care, guided by our Christian mission and delivered with compassion and dignity.
• Through a combination of strategic staff-building and technology enhancements, BCHS is well-equipped to accommodate the growing number of patients in our community best served in languages other than English.

Overall, BCHS has helped and will continue to work to restore health and hope, closing critical gaps that were nearly impossible to fill immediately following Katrina. Our dedicated clinical team, led by several commissioned medical missionaries, uses evidence-based best practices while also forming genuine relationships with patients: whether that means praying with patients, helping to find someone a safe home, or just going the extra mile to serve with Christ-like respect and kindness. Over time, this has built trust that has transformed and is actively transforming lives as well as the 9^th Ward and St. Bernard communities at large.

How the K20 Grant Aligns with Our Mission

BCM’s Katrina 20 Grant is focused on 501(c)(3) organizations making a difference in the 9^th Ward and St. Bernard Parish, with values that echo ours: Faithfulness, Compassion, Respect, Sustainability, and Transparency. BCHS embodies each of these:

• Faithfulness: Delivering Christ-centered care daily in neighborhoods where services and resources are limited.
• Compassion: Reaching people regardless of ability to pay in a way that is loving, sensitive, and dignifying.
• Respect: Listening earnestly and upholding patient-centered values and desires as an active and leading part of their own care team.
• Sustainability: Operating multiple long-term sites, expanding into mobile care and school-based programs, and governed by a board where our patients hold majority voice.
• Transparency: Patient governance, clear financial practices, and measurable impact.

Being nominated for this grant is a powerful recognition that our faithful service continues to uplift our community, and we want to thank those of you who nominated us.

How You Can Help

We need your voice to turn this nomination into reality. Here’s how you can support:

1. Vote for BCHS: final voting is open from July 28–Aug 1 at the BCM Katrina 20 nomination page.
2. Share and encourage friends, family, and social media connections to vote too by sharing the link to this page or BCHS’ social media posts about the K20 grant opportunity.
1. You can find us on: Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn

Together, we can ensure BCHS continues to be a lifeline of consistent, Christ-centered, whole-person care for the most vulnerable in New Orleans.

Thank you for your faithful support, your votes, your shares, and your prayers. With your help, we can amplify our impact and continue God’s work of healing in the 9^th Ward and St. Bernard Parish.