Health Clinic Update: Expanded Services
The IMAN Health Clinic has been moving steadily towards its vision of becoming a comprehensive health center offering an array of services, including acupuncture, focused asthma visits, family, group, and marriage counseling. The Clinic is projected to extend its current operating hours to 7 days a week by the end of the current year (2013). Mental health services including marital, family, and individual counseling will be offered 5 days a week.
At present, we have a volunteer nurse practitioner, Susan Kilrakas, with extensive VA hospital work experience who has joined our team. With focused interest in diabetic foot care, she has been coming twice a week to provide patient education, physicals, and diabetes education. As we have reopened our children’s vaccine program, Kilrakas has been instrumental in administering vaccines with her comforting bedside manners and skill in handing our pediatric patients.
The coming of October, 2013, marks the 10th successful group of Everest medical administrative students completing their externship in our Clinic. Many of these internship students are single mothers who are aspiring for careers in the medical field, and are filled with hope to improve their own lives and the future of their young children. Completion of their internship not only means a promise of better job prospects, but also alleviation of their financial concerns regarding support of their young children. Through this internship, they gain a strong recommendation letter, professional networks, and a great experience working with our diverse patient population.
Fatima Noubani, our volunteer family marriage therapist, has continued to provide weekly counseling sessions. Her contribution is of special importance to our community due to the closure of mental health clinics in our area. With Medicaid being a requirement for access to mental health, IMAN’s mental health program is one of the few free counseling programs in the Chicagoland, and a vital source of mental health care for both homeless and immigrant patients. Fatima’s Arabic speaking skills and her Muslim faith have attracted the Muslim patient population, a unique niche where mental health needs are unmet due to fear of personal stigma.
Lastly, we are looking forward to having Drs. Ibrahim Mansoor and Sarah Ahmed join our team in October. It’s an exciting time of growth at the IMAN Health Clinic. We hope to have continued community support in order help our Clinic reach its full potential!