OUR TEAM
Leadership
Edward C. Carlson, MA, M.F.T.
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Chief Executive Officer
Edward C. Carlson became Chief Executive Officer of Odyssey House Louisiana, Inc. (OHL) in January 2005, bringing over 35 years of experience in human services and addiction field. As CEO, he is building on the 50-year legacy of Odyssey House and expanding its outreach and services to the community. His responsibilities include program design and implementation, and overall management of the organization’s staff, resources and fiscal health. He has taken OHL from a small, 61-bed treatment program to a multi-program social service agency that provides services to over 2,000 people per month. Under his tenure as CEO, Odyssey House has significantly expanded its continuum of care services and has become one of the largest and most comprehensive nonprofit behavioral health care facilities in Louisiana. Due to its encompassing system of care, OHL has been recognized nationally as model treatment program.
Mr. Carlson has served on multiple advisory and research panels in several states over his career, overseeing numerous reports related to policy recommendations establish responsive systems that implements best practices based on sound research, strategies to reduce the cost and suffering of drug and alcohol addiction and expand the quality and quantity of treatment, and ways to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of state programs.
Mr. Carlson has been responsible for the implementation and operations of over 46 treatment programs during his tenure in the substance use field.
Mr. Carlson is a graduate of John F. Kennedy University where he received a B.A. in psychology and an M.A. in clinical psychology with a concentration in substance abuse, criminal justice population and cognitive behavioral science.
Amy Bosworth, LCSW
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Chief Operations Officer
Amy Bosworth is the Chief Operations Officer for Odyssey House Louisiana, Inc. She is responsible for ensuring operations of programs in New Orleans, Lake Charles and Morgan City.
During her time at OHL, Mrs. Bosworth oversaw general administration, staffing and reporting requirements of the Outpatient and Admissions programs, and collaborated with local medical and mental health service providers, as well as court officials and probation officers, to provide residents a continuum of care. She has worked at OHL as a Residential Outpatient Counselor, Program Manager and Program Director.
Mrs. Bosworth was also instrumental in securing funding for and coordinating the start-up of OHL’s free community Medical Clinic, which opened shortly after Hurricane Katrina, and the region’s first Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment center, which opened in 2010. Mrs. Bosworth served 2 full terms on the New Orleans Regional AIDS Planning Council. While a member of the Planning Council Mrs. Bosworth served as Chair of the Service Delivery Committee and as Secretary of the Council in her final year as a member.
Mrs. Bosworth has BA in Psychology and received her Master’s in Social Work in 2003. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Louisiana and has been an employee at OHL since 2005.
Dr. Richard Carr, MD
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Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Richard Carr graduated from Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, MI in 1990. He has been fellowship trained in Addiction Medicine at the University of Florida Medical School. He is originally from Michigan and moved to New Orleans in 2014 and has been practicing addiction medicine here since then. He has directed the detoxification facility at River Oaks Hospital and directed intensive outpatient treatment programs at Addiction Recovery Resources, Crescent Care, and Longbranch Wellness Center. prior to coming to OHL in September 2021. Dr. Carr has
been in recovery himself for several years
and is active in the recovery community in
New Orleans.
Helena Likaj, MPH-CLSSGB
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Director: Prevention, Clinic, and Pharmacy Departments
Helena leads various initiatives centered on addressing and alleviating health issues impacting our most marginalized communities. She lead the expansion of OHL's HIV and Hep C Testing and Treatment efforts, Syringe Access Program, Naloxone Access Program, developed a robust Outreach Department, and ensure our departments are providing quality nonjudgemental care to our communities. Helena is an Albanian refugee dedicated to empowering, equipping, and educating communities when it comes to healthcare. Ms. Likaj received her Masters in Public Health from Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and has years of experience developing unique programs designed to increase access to quality health care and prevention of illnesses. Helena’s experience includes working with Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Tulane University, and APEX Youth Center.
Ciera Bryant, MBA
Tonti Clinic Supervisor
Ciera is a New Orleans native who has held numerous positions with Ochsner and Chenmed. She earned her MBA in Health/Health Care Administration/ Management from American InterContinental University. Ciera is dedicated to serving the underserved population by assisting in the provision of high-quality healthcare services that will help to reduce healthcare disparities.
Allen Chighizola
Bohn Clinic Manager
Allen was born and raised in the New Orleans Metro area. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology fron Nicholls State University in 1987 and has gone on to earn a Specialist degree in School Psychology and a MBA in Healthcare Management. With over 22 years of work experience in healthcare, Allen has served in multiple capacities in the Mental Health and Substance Abuse field. He started out as an admissions counselor and has worked his way through the ranks to positions as Operations Director for a residential treatment program, Health Center Manager, Mental Health Program Director for the State of Louisiana and aa Administrator of a local Psychiatric hospital. Allen’s passion is in working with patients and being able to help make a difference in the lives of those in the programs where he has worked. He brings a wealth of education and experience to his role as Bohn Clinic Manager.
Lana Huling, FNP-C
Nurse Practitioner Supervisor
Lana graduated the Family Nurse Practitioner Program from Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, Louisiana in 2019. She has practiced in urgent care, retail health care and assisted with the COVID-19 response in New York. She began her Nursing career as a registered nurse at Charity Hospital in 2004 in the Emergency Department and continued her RN career in the emergency department with UMC.
Practitioners
Joella Das, FNP-C
Family Nurse Practitioner
Joella recently graduated the Family Nurse Practitioner program at Franciscan Missionaries of our Lady University in Baton Rouge. She has practiced as a Registered Nurse at Our Lady of the Lake Emergency Department since 2016. She looks forward to serving the community in need.
Kareem Neal, PMHNP-BC
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Dr. Kareem Neal, DNP, PMHNP-BC recently graduated the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner program from Louisiana State University Health - New Orleans with a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree in May of 2021. He has been a Registered Nurse since 2009 in the Baton Rouge area in numerous settings including Psychiatry, ICU, and Cardiology. He completed clinical at Odyssey House Louisiana and looks forward to assisting clients in need of a mental health provider.
Renata Weatherspoon, PMHNP-BC
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Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Renata obtained her Master's Degree in Nursing from the University of Cincinnati. Ms. Weatherspoon brings an extensive amount of experience to the OHL organization. Her background includes both inpatient and outpatient experience, as well as having serviced the legal system as a Forensic Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Expert Witness. More notable achievements include Medical Director for Community Based Mental Health Rehabilitation Center, published articles written for BlackDoctor.org, Co-Authored "the Black Girl's Guide to Nursing School", and currently serves as a Mental Health Consultant assisting Psychiatric Providers with developing private practices.
Whitney Jones, FNP-C
Family Nurse Practitioner
Whitney is a family nurse practitioner at the OHL Community Health Center. She graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with both bachelor's and Master's degrees in the Science of Nursing. She was a nurse for 5 years before becoming an FNP. As a registered nurse, she specialized in women's health/mother/baby/postpartum.
Veronica Schaufelberger, FNP-C
Family Nurse Practitioner
Veronica has been an FNP since 2010, and an RN since 1984. Veronica moved to New Orleans with her husband in January 2022 from rural Southern Illinois. She loves traveling, going to music events, and walking around the city with her chocolate lab, Myrtle Mae.
Darrylynn Smith, PMHNP
Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Darrylynn is a New Orleans native, she obtained her Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in May 2022, and earned her BSN degree from Dillard University in 2015. She has dedicated the last 8 years working as a RN in diverse healthcare settings within the community including MICU, behavioral health, post-surgical, and health screenings. She looks forward to serving her community and aiding in increasing access to mental health care.
Lynisha Porter, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor
Greetings, my name is Lynisha Porter. I earned a Bachelor’s in Psychology in 2015 and a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2020. I have been actively practicing in the mental health field for the past 9 years, working with clients who have experienced trauma, suffer from depression, PTSD, addiction, anxiety, bipolar disorder and more. I understand that reaching out for help can be an intimidating process, but therapy doesn't have to be scary or inaccessible. My work focuses on building a collaborative relationship with my clients that meet each individual where they are in their healing journey and personal development. I work with individuals to help them identify the things that are going well in their lives, things that they want to change, and seek solutions and resources to aid in diminishing those problems. We collaborate to make those changes a reality.
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Expertise: Alcohol Use, Anger Management, Chronic Relapse, Drug Use, Emotional Disturbance, Impulse Control Disorders, Inner Child Healing, LGBTQ+, Mood Disorders, PTSD, Relationship Issues, Self Esteem, Stress, Substance Use, Women's Issues, Etc.