Healthy Access for Cultural Workers

1510 Bayou Courtableau Highway,Arnaudville LA 70512

14 May, 2023

Description

In this free session, Kathy Richard will provide details on some of the services available in Acadiana (and beyond) and there will be an opportunity for limited 1-on-1 consultations so come prepared with your questions! Acadiana Center for the Arts Executive Director, Sam Oliver and Atchafalaya National Heritage Area Executive Director, Justin Lemoine will be available for the event as well. We wish to thank the Atchafalaya Natural Heritage Area (ANHA) for their support in making this program possible. KATHY RICHARD is the Director and Co-Founder of Acadiana Cultural Healthcare Access Kathy has been on the front lines and has helped over 3000 musicians and cultural workers during her 20 years of service. During her tenure as a health advocate for cultural workers, she has accessed over $500,000 in financial, dental, and medical assistance for culture bearers. In 2011, she created and coordinated the first Musicians for Smoke Free movement in Louisiana. This musician’s movement, with over 560 supporters, was extremely influential in the successful passage of 100% comprehensive smoke free ordinances in New Orleans, Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Shreveport, Abbeville, New Iberia, Hammond, Ponchatoula, Bogalusa and the local music venue Cowboys. These passages finally gave all musicians, bar workers, and all music professionals in those cities totally smoke free workplaces. Her journey began with her assistance in the forming of the New Orleans Musicians Clinic (NOMC) in 1998 and moved on to the Healthcare for Musicians (H4M) program in 2002, Louisiana Cultural Economy Foundation (2008-2019), Louisiana Campaign for Tobacco Free Living (2019-2022) and has come full circle with the Acadiana Cultural Health Care Access initiative. Kathy is a visual artist herself and attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for three years majoring in Applied Art and Journalism. She is the first Acadiana resident to be licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners as an Acupuncture Detox Specialist and served as an officer on the boards of the Acadiana Open Channel, the Vermilion Parish Tourist Commission, SouthWest LA Health Education Center (SWLAHEC) and Abbeville’s Confrerie d’Omelette.