From Alice, 48, and her family were evacuated to Albuquerque, New Mexico. Pat, 56, went to El Paso, Texas. Weeks later, they, like thousands of others, returned to find their homes uninhabitable, their jobs gone.
The following spring, as she was rebuilding her life, Alice contacted Common Ground, a grassroots relief effort that had become a hub of information for returning residents.
When Michelle Shin, the coordinator in the Lower Ninth Ward, learned that Alice was a nurse, she asked if she would spearhead a desperately needed clinic. Alice said she'd do it, but only with Pat.
It took Pat less than five minutes to say yes. And after consulting with her children, she offered her damaged home as the new clinic.
As word spread, help poured in.
A group called Leaders Creating Change Through Contribution raised $30,000 and donated medical equipment, exam tables, and labor. Home Depot and GE kicked in supplies. A local air-conditioning business did free ductwork. Contractors transformed bedrooms into exam rooms and Pat's living room into a waiting room.
On February 27, 2007, the Lower 9th Ward Health Clinic opened, with patients lined up around the block. "The people who came in that first day were very sick," says Pat, the clinical director. "They had chronic problems-high blood pressure, diabetes, asthma-from not taking their medicine for a year after Katrina."
Over 1,200 people have made their way to the clinic, whose decor passes what Pat calls the mama test: "Would your mama feel comfortable here?" Until recently, it was the only health-care facility in the Lower Ninth Ward. "It's a relief to have a clinic right here in the neighborhood where I can check my pressure," says Latoya Owens, 30, who suffers from hypertension.
"We operate on a wing and a prayer," says executive director Alice cheerfully, "but we operate." Since opening, they've been able to hire a medical director, a registered nurse, and a clerk, all part-time.
"This is the most rewarding thing I've ever done," says Alice. Adds Pat, "I'm alleviating some suffering in an underserved population. I listen to their stories, and I tell you, I cry a lot. People outside New Orleans think things are back to normal here. We are far from being back to normal. But we're making a dent."
In honor of Alice Craft-Kerney and Patricia Berryhill, the Reader's Digest foundation awarded a $100,000 grant to Share Our Strength Relif and Recovery Fund for New Orleans, specifically for the city's unmet health-care needs. Submit your Make It Matter story today.
A truly powerful story of how people can overcome devastating circumstances.