The Tulane Living Well Clinic provides resources for a healthy lifestyle

In August 2020, the Tulane Living Well Clinic opened a second location at University Square, 200 Broadway, Suite 108, offering the same services as the popular clinic located downtown in the School of Medicine’s Hutchinson Building. The clinics’ services include primary care, urgent care and a metabolic care program, which involves health coaching, cognitive behavioral therapy, dietary counseling and culinary medicine.

Urgent care and nurse practitioner visits at the Living Well Clinic are offered at no cost to Tulane employees, and visits with Tulane Doctors physicians are available at reduced copays. Telehealth appointments are available in many situations. Jenine Dabon, a board-certified family nurse practitioner, manages urgent care and health coaching at both locations; however, there are plans to hire another nurse practitioner soon. The uptown clinic’s team includes Dr. Nicole Nash and Dr. Anne Carrere, primary care physicians; Nicole Leon, a licensed professional counselor; Kathy Garvey, a registered dietician; and Joe Esneault, chief clinical data officer.

The clinic’s whole-person perspective on health care is demonstrated by the work they are doing to develop wellness programs for various Tulane departments.

Joseph Elfer, Tulane University Police Department (TUPD) sergeant, recalls his experience with the clinic. “Jenine Dabon and Joe Esneault worked on putting together a program for TUPD. I highly recommend it to anyone; please take full advantage of the resources available at the Living Well Clinic. They are fantastic springboards to propel you into a healthier way of living.”

Regarding the clinic’s well-rounded approach to medicine, Dabon said, “I think we have a nice 360-degree relationship with the primary care providers, so we really know our patients. “

Dabon is passionate about the health of the Tulane community and hopes to get more people back on the path to wellness.

“One of the things that has happened during COVID-19 is that people have let their health go because they were afraid to come in due to exposure. We want everyone to know of the services we offer and utilize them,” she said.

Another resource available to employees is the Occupational Health Clinic, operated by the School of Medicine and located in the Hutchinson Building downtown. The clinic offers workplace assessments and treatment for on-the-job injuries and has partnered with the Living Well Clinic to provide valuable services during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as preparing physicians, residents and staff to be on the front lines, testing symptomatic patients and operating vaccination clinics. Together the three clinics have fully vaccinated over 12,000 people and continue to offer vaccinations uptown at Phelps Hall and downtown at the Hutchinson Building.

With most people affected by the pandemic, Esneault sees the Living Well Clinic as playing an important role in providing a path to wellness for the community. “I think post-COVID-19 we are going to see a need for the clinic in a different way. We are starting to see mental fatigue, and this will also bring stress to the workplace. Our wellness coaching, our mental health counseling, our dietetics, our cooking classes, all those things are going to play an integral part in getting people back to themselves.”

Both clinics are open from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday – Friday. To schedule an appointment, contact WellnessClinic@tulane.edu or call 504-988-8935 for the uptown location and 504-988-4325 for downtown.