Opening new doors. A community health ministry evolves in New Orleans.

Mr. Ward is president and CEO, Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans. "W hen one door closes, another opens ." This has certainly been the experience of Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans ( D C S N O ) . When in 1992 Daughters of Charity National Health SystemWest Central Region ( D C N H S W C ) sold its Hotel Dieu Hospital in overbedded New Orleans to the state of Louisiana, which used it to replace its "Big Charity Hospital," community members were apprehensive about the loss of a Catholic acute care presence. But now, supported by the funds from the sale, DCS-NO has turned its ministry to community health services—reaching out to people in the most challenged neighborhoods and filling gaps where the current system was not meet ing needs. D C S N O is mode l ing new approaches to creating healthy communities by working in collaboration with the full community.