Barbara Strain, LPC-S, is Director of the Covington FQHC. She has had over 30 years’ experience as a Licensed Professional Counselor. She has had the privilege of being the Director of several IOP programs, a Mental Health Rehabilitation program and has worked as a clinician in a multitude of areas. Her work experience includes, private practice, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, school based counseling, domestic violence programs, and an adolescent psychiatric treatment center.

Celeste earned her Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from Louisiana State University. She earned her Master's Degree in Counseling from Southeastern Louisiana University.  She was born and raised in Louisiana and during her free time she enjoys spending time with her friends and family. 

Justin Ragon, PMHNP-C is originally from Mississippi. After serving four years in the United States Air Force, he attended University of Southern Mississippi, where he majored in nursing. He then earned his Master’s in Nursing from the University of Colorado. Justin has a particular interest in forensic psychiatry and severe mental illness. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, gardening, and caring for animals. 

Dr. Kelisia Burks McKay is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner with over 24 years of nursing experience. She received a Doctor of Nursing Practice from Walden University, a Master of Science in Nursing from Loyola University, and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Dillard University. Dr. McKay has experience in family practice, rural health care, emergency medicine, and nursing education. She is passionate about sharing information with her patients to improve their health and in involving patients in their healthcare.

Angie Paretti FNP-C began her career by obtaining her Bachelors of Science in Nursing from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2008. She practiced as a registered nurse in her home state of Louisiana for 10 years. Her care and compassion for her patients led her to pursue her dream of furthering her career. She then earned her Masters of Science in Nursing from Maryville University in 2018. She has helped serve patients in St. Tammany Parish at Start Community Health Center in Covington as a Family Nurse Practitioner for the past year. She is married with 3 sons, a daughter-in-law and 1 grandson. On her off time, she enjoys camping and spending time with her family and friends.

Analiese Hand is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner with special interests in urgent care and family medicine. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Louisiana State University in 2011. She enjoyed seven rewarding years at the bedside in various specialties including transplant, cardiac intermediate care, and critical care nursing. She then obtained a Master of Science in Nursing from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2018 and holds a national certification with the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). She was born and raised in Madisonville, Louisiana. She enjoys residing in St. Tammany Parish and spending time with her husband and two daughters. She believes in developing strong relationships in order to provide personalized care, tailored to meet each patient’s specific needs.

Debbie is a board certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner. She received her Masters in Science at Walden University, Bachelor’s in Nursing at William Carey University, and her Associate’s in Nursing at Southwest Mississippi Community College. She has over 10 years of experience as a nurse in diverse settings including long-term acute care, medical surgical, and long-term care. Her philosophy of nursing is providing care for patients in the community with empathy and a smile, results in the best patient outcomes.

Anne Wallace was born and raised in St. Bernard Parish. Anne has been practicing mental health counseling since 2016. She attended Southeastern Louisiana University, where she earned a Master’s of Science in Counseling and a Bachelor’s of Science in Health Education and Promotion. Anne provides individual counseling to people of all ages, along with couples and family counseling. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music and spending time with family and friends.

Cassidy Palmisano was born and raised in Louisiana. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology at LSO. She earned her master’s in clinical mental health counseling form Loyola University in New Orleans. She enjoys working with clients of all ages for individual, couples, and family counseling. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors and spending time with her family and friends.

Mason is originally from Houma, where he lived until 18. He moved to Maine to work on his undergrad through Husson University in Psychology then obtained his Master’s in Social Work from Rutgers University. After obtaining his MSW he started working on the Northshore until coming onboard with Start. Mason started working in the field almost 8 years ago as a mental health technician, which he believes gives him a unique understanding of the field from the ground up. 

Celeste was born in New Orleans and raised in Old Metairie.  She went to undergraduate school at the University of New Orleans and received her Masters at Tulane School of Social Work.  Celeste has four sons, six grandchildren (one on the way), and two cats – a Ragdoll and a Bengal. She has been employed with Start Corp since May 2018 and is currently the Team Lead- Program Director for the Northshore ACT Team which services clients located in St. Tammany Parish. Celeste enjoys working with her staff and clients and learning about ways to improve their quality of life. When she grows up, she would like to stress less and learn to really stop, smell the flowers, and pick a few along the way. Fun fact – She once lived on 45+ acres in Mississippi and bred horses.  She was certified at the School of Veterinary Medicine on how to extract semen and bred horses.  She had several show quality Quarter and Paint horses – World Champions studs and mares. My favorite pets were my two bobcats they were very affectionate and were great companions.