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AMHP Newsletter | January 2010
Message from the Board
Assalaam Alaikum AMHP Members.
2009 was a remarkable year
for AMHP with healthcare front and center on the domestic agenda.
Under the guidance and leadership of its current President, Dr. Faisal
Qazi, AMHP was actively engaged in healthcare reform over the past year.
In our most direct efforts, AMHP participated in a week of advocacy
on the Hill in June and individual members met with their Congressional
Representatives during the August Recess. Other notable achievements
include:
Collaborated with numerous community and faith-based partner organizations to build upon the existing grassroots momentum for health reform.
Participated in a Pro-Public Option Candlelight Vigil on the Hill in December where AMHP member, Khizer Hussain, spoke of the "moral and fiscal responsibility" for the Senate to pass a strong public option.
Organized educational workshops in six cities in March '09 to raise awareness of Universal healthcare.
Hired an independent consulting firm as well as a strong web development/e-marketing team to revamp the website.
Held a successful networking event in Los Angeles. This year's theme was "Networking for Change: United We Serve," inspired by President Obama's message.
Recognizing the great accomplishments
AMHP has attained in the past year, it was awarded with the 2009 Excellence
in Community Leadership Award during the Muslim Public Affairs Council
Foundation (MPAC)'s 9th Annual Convention Banquet.
AMHP is pleased to welcome
its new Program Manager, Nadiah Mohajir. Nadiah received her Masters
in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago and is the
Co-Founder & Director of an emerging organization focusing on Health
Education, Advocacy, Research & Training for Women and Girls in
faith-based and community settings.
For the upcoming year, we will
focus our efforts on Policy, Prevention and Education and are seeking
three dedicated and qualified project managers to lead each initiative
on a volunteer basis. If you are interested in the position, please
contact myself or one of the Board Members.
Sincerely,
Arshia Wajid MPH, MBA
Board of Directors, AMHP | |
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AMHP Member delivers holiday cards to Congressional Offices
by Khizer Husain
In December, Khizer Husain hand-delivered
holiday cards to 20 offices of members of Congress with whom AMHP had
held meetings earlier in the year. These holiday cards were part of a
campaign by the coalition Faithful Reform for Healthcare and helped to
further AMHP's relationships with key Congressional members. The
delivery of these cards was timed to highlight the American Muslim
community's support for real healthcare reform as the Senate geared to
make its historic vote in favor of the bill. AMHP continues to mount
pressure of the legislature to ensure that a strong and worthy bill
reaches President Obama's desk in the next few weeks. |
Free Clinic Profile: Shafa Clinic, Oregon
Brief history on the
establishment of the clinic:
Shafa Clinic was
established in baby steps. Initially the wish was to have a mobile van
but it was a huge expense at the outset. Shafa Clinic was established
in 2005 with a small grant through the Medicaid CSSI program, in a
shared space near As-Sabbar mosque, with a satellite medical office to
help the local refugee population. In 2008, the Clinic moved near
Billal Mosque, as free standing clinic, but shares a space with the
first Islamic Montessori pre-school in US, to mutually help offset the
rental burden. Shafa clinic runs a dental van, offers circumcisions and
free medical care at their old location few times a month.
Tell us, briefly about
your clinic (e.g. services, individuals served, etc):
We did a few interesting
projects in the last few years. We provided spiritual counseling to Muslim families, which was in high demand, provided monthly educational sessions in As-Sabbar Mosque
for women, as part of an awareness program, and offered a weight loss
program where we gave vouchers for gym membership. We receive phone calls from Idaho, Washington
and other states as circumcision is in high demand with the Somali population. Acupuncture
was added last year and interestingly most patients have been Non-Muslim.
How did the clinic get
started?
With the large influx
of Muslim refugees, there was a huge demand of circumcision for
Muslim boys, which had been delayed as they were coming from war zones, delaying the fulfillment of this Abrahamic Sunnah. Sister Hillary, a
reverted Muslim urged me to find a solution. I planned to open a satellite
office near As-Sabbar mosque when I was awarded some grant money through Care Oregon/ State
insurance and started to schedule Muslim patients on Sundays for free care, including circumcisions. In the last few years, Masha
Allah we have done various small projects, still a drop in the sea but this
whole experience has been very fulfilling in many ways.
What are your current
projects?
We mostly provide medical
care to the needy on Fridays after Jummah prayer. We offer acupuncture on
Wednesdays. A psychologist provides counseling to Muslims and non Muslims at the
facility on Saturdays. We run a Free Dental Van with the North West Medical team once every three
months. Our spiritual Imam visits the local hospital once a week to
visit Muslim patients. Recently we got contracted with Care Oregon to accept Medicaid assignments for
urgent care, but due to limited funding we are unable to expand this service to
desired expectations.
How can the clinic be contacted?
SHAFA Clinic/ AMIN 501c-3
16805SW Blanton Rd.
Beaverton, OR 97009
Shasan4956@yahoo.com
Phone # (503) 531-3858,
Ask for free services
AMHP Newsletters will feature a Free Clinic profile each month. Please submit your clinic's information to mqureshi@amhp.us
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AMHP is seeking Project Managers
AMHP is seeking three project managers to lead teams in its core mission. We are looking for individuals to lead our Policy, Education and Prevention initiatives. These are strictly volunteer positions but give a breadth of experience and networking opportunity for the right individual. You will gain the opportunity to meet people in the health care industry, lead a note-worthy initiative as well as build your resume. Manage:- Work with team members to develop scopes of work
- Develop and oversee project budgets
- Work with program manager to obtain project financing and prepare on-going reporting
Delegate:- Delegate tasks to appropriate team members
- Strategize and implement solutions relating to project, budget, management, etc.
- Develop and maintain communication pipeline with key people (President, program manager, board and members of the team)
Networking:- Work with local organizations and officers as needed in the development process
Coordinator:
- Facilitate meetings
- Submit required paperwork to program manager and the board
- Monitor project schedule and oversee details such as plan selection
Requirements: Bachelors in Public Health/related field or in the process of completing; motivated, confident individual with excellent interpersonal communication and experience leading a team; ability to communicate through multiple tools. A one-year commitment is required. Please send all resumes to Nadiah Mohajir at Nadiah@ameritech.net.
Deadline for submission: January 24, 2010. | |
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Member Profile:Nadiah Mohajir Nadiah joined the AMHP team at the beginning of this year as a program manager. She will work towards improving AMHP's infrastructure and assisting with various projects and initiatives. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Chicago and her MPH in Health Policy and Administration at the UIC School of Public Health. Nadiah is drawn to public health because she's very interested in
analyzing health disparities, determining the multiple forces
contributing to those disparities, and then breaking them down and
working to eliminate them. She wants to work toward reducing health disparities by empowering
communities with information and resources and advocating on their
behalf. |
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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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