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AMHP Newsletter | July 2010
Message from the Board
Assalaamualaikum.
AMHP
hosted its national networking luncheon on July 3, 2010 during the 47th Annual ISNA convention. The sold-out event
had over eighty attendees who enjoyed networking activities and the honor of hearing Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah of the Nawawi
Foundation provide the keynote address. Dr. Abd-Allah spoke of the importance of civic engagement
for Muslim health professionals and remembering our neighbors - locally
and globally - as we do this important work. We would like to thank our
sponsors, volunteers and attendees for making the event a successful
one. As Ramadan is quickly approaching, we ask you to keep AMHP in mind when donating. AMHP
is 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization that relies solely on the
generosity of our members like yourself. You can donate via
our website
or by mail: AMHP, 1284 S. Vermont St., Palatine, IL 60067. If you
are interested in making recurring donations, please contact myself. Again, we want to thank everyone for their continued support. May you all have a successful and beneficial Ramadan. Thabraize Ahmed Treasurer, AMHP
tahmed@amhp.us |
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Muslim Mental Health in the Military
AMHP Member Co-Authors Critical Report
Shamael Haque
The
tragic shootings at the
Fort Hood Army Base raised the public's attention toward Muslims serving in the
Armed Forces. There was much public conjecture about the motives of Major
Hasan. While mental health services in
the military exist, one question that emerged after the shootings was: Does the
military provided adequate support services for American Muslims? Despite
limited data amongst Muslim military personnel, studies on improved mental
health among all soldiers and in the civilian Muslim population leads to the
potential reduction of self- and other-directed harm. Our brief is
intended to improve access to mental health services for American Muslim
military personnel in order to properly care for those who may be at a higher risk
for emotional distress.
It is intended to advise
policymakers, mental health and public health administrators of culturally
competent and spiritually relevant professional services that will allow
Muslims to thrive and make significant contributions to society.
It is our hope that this
brief will promote cultural understanding between a misunderstood group and
society at large and to help to foster a sense of mutual respect and
sensitivity. Access the report here.
Image from ISPU.
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Free Clinic Profile: Avicenna Community Health Center
(ACHC)
for-profit organization. Avicenna is an interfaith,
academia-community partnership, which undertakes to work collaboratively
with
other area clinics, and is leading the efforts toward the deployment of
health
information systems. Avicenna is
the Latinized name of the astronomer, mathematician, physicist, and
physician Ibn Sina (b. 980 CE).
The mission of ACHC is to work in the area of social justice
by providing culturally competent healthcare to uninsured and underinsured
residents of Champaign
County, IL, by conducting preventive
health screenings, and to promote awareness through education and information dissemination. Due to limited resources we
are currently
only providing healthcare services to uninsured residents above the age of 18 in Champaign
County, primarily for the
following medical conditions: i) Hypertension, ii) Diabetes, and iii) Obesity, and primary
care. We have plans to add much needed dental, mental, and
ophthalmological health to our services; however, we currently do not have adequate
resources to offer these services, despite having specialists lined up to
provide such services.
Our goal is to serve 1000 patients during
our first year of
operation, by offering services over the weekends (8 hours/weekend).
During
our initial launch period, we have provided services to 15-18 patients
per week. As more people come to know about our existence, we hope to
provide healthcare to 40 patients/weekend on a regular basis.
Contact Information:
Avicenna Community Health Center (ACHC)
502 S. 2nd Street, Suite 2E, Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: 217-355-1555 (CLINIC)
Clinic Hours: Sundays: 1:00-4:00PM
http://www.avicennahealth.org/
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Healthcare Seminar in California
Mission
Viejo, CA- A group of 30 citizens from the inter-faith community
gathered at the Orange County Islamic Foundation (OCIF) to listen to a
seminar organized by AMHP in collaboration with National Physicians
Alliance (NPA). The guest speaker was Dr. Lydia Vaias, the founder and
past president of NPA. Dr. Vaias educated attendees about
healthcare reform and its impact on all of us.
Dr. Vaias
informed the audience about how healthcare reform will make insurance
and health care affordable for families by regulating how insurance
companies raise premiums. She also spoke on retiree health
benefits, the creation of a national high-risk pool, healthcare coverage
across the lifespan, and preventative care.
The two hour seminar attracted local media, including the internet based radio station One Legacy Radio www.onelegacyradio.com,
which recorded the session to be podcasted. The session was moderated
by AMHP member Iyad Afalqa. Afalqa urged the audience to actively engage
their communities and support the work of AMHP and NPA.
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Member Profile:
Shamael Haque
 Shamael Haque is a forensic psychiatrist at the University of Michigan. He completed his D.O. from Michigan State
University and MPH from the University of Michigan. Shamael is interested in the areas of dementia
and mental health and recently co-authored a report on Muslim mental health in the military. Dr. Haque is involved with family counseling for the community and with Muslim Family Services in Detroit, Michigan. |
Support AMHP!
Since
its inception in 2004, the American Muslim Health Professionals (AMHP)
has been actively engaged in public health initiatives to better the
health of all Americans.
As
a 501 c3 non-profit charitable organization, AMHP relies solely on the
generosity of those who wish to improve the quality and delivery of
health services and increase access to care.
Donate online using the link below or mail checks payable to AMHP to:
1284 S. Vermont Street
Palatine, IL 60067
Make a Donation
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AMHP Listserv
AMHP's listserv includes over 1000 healthcare professionals and
students from various disciplines across America. The listserv is open
to all without regard to gender, race and religion who seek to
collaboratively empower Muslim health professionals to improve the
quality and delivery of health services and increase access to care.
Interested in joining?
Email your name and email address to: contact@amhp.us.
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