Kaylee Loofbourrow, UT:10 News Reporter
February 12, 2019
February 12, 2019
HOLLAND, Ohio – A group of University of Toledo medical students are working alongside local doctors to provide free healthcare for the uninsured.
Halim Clinic is a new free clinic that accepts people who do not have insurance or who have limited coverage which does not cover services requested.
The clinic started as an initiative by a couple of Muslim doctors who wanted to give back to the community, said Dr. Hatem Elhady, a volunteer physician at Halim. Six percent of local adult residents are without healthcare coverage, according to the Lucas County Community Health Assessment’s 2016-2017 data.
Students from UT’s College of Medicine and Life Sciences were the driving force in organizing and structuring the clinic into a reality, Elhady said.
Individuals fulfill roles in management, reception, and administration including tasks such as creating electronic medical records, making appointments, stocking supplies, and interacting with patients.
They first try to determine what the patient came in for and present it to the physician who then consults with them and determine how to help the patient, Elhady said.
For first-year medical student Mazzin Elsamaloty, the experience allows him to supplement what he is learning in the classroom with the real world.
“You can try and work on your communication skills,” he said. “How to ask questions, how to approach certain situations, and how to even do a physical exam.”
Volunteers originally worked out of Toledo Masjid Al-Islam, a mosque in downtown Toledo, until Dr. Mahmood Moosa, an endocrinologist, offered them space in his Holland clinic, Elsamaloty said.
Halim Clinic is located on Spring Valley Drive and is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Services include wellness checkups and physical examinations for patients with scheduled appointments and walk-ins.
Targeted patients are people who work one or two part-time jobs that do not offer insurance or benefits, Elsamaloty said.
“The ability for us to save patients, you know, hundreds if not thousands of dollars…is rewarding.”
Without having insurance or having to pay high deductibles and copayments, people tend not to visit doctors which can worsen complications, Elhady said.
“With this clinic, we can solve at least part of the problem,” he said. “People can at least come for an initial visit to know if they have to follow up for something serious or is it something simple they can take simple medication and go back home.”
Though the clinic cannot prescribe prescriptions yet and only provides primary care and consultations, it is working with other specialists in the area who the clinic has collaborated with to take referred patients at little to no cost, Elhady said.
Future goals include wanting to add dental and vision services, an in-house pharmacy, and more business hours, Elsamaloty said.
“It’s all about, you know, giving back and making sure that we protect those who are most vulnerable in our community and to make sure they are taken care of.” To schedule an appointment, call 567-318-4069 or visit Halimclinic.org for more information.
Halim Clinic is a new free clinic that accepts people who do not have insurance or who have limited coverage which does not cover services requested.
The clinic started as an initiative by a couple of Muslim doctors who wanted to give back to the community, said Dr. Hatem Elhady, a volunteer physician at Halim. Six percent of local adult residents are without healthcare coverage, according to the Lucas County Community Health Assessment’s 2016-2017 data.
Students from UT’s College of Medicine and Life Sciences were the driving force in organizing and structuring the clinic into a reality, Elhady said.
Individuals fulfill roles in management, reception, and administration including tasks such as creating electronic medical records, making appointments, stocking supplies, and interacting with patients.
They first try to determine what the patient came in for and present it to the physician who then consults with them and determine how to help the patient, Elhady said.
For first-year medical student Mazzin Elsamaloty, the experience allows him to supplement what he is learning in the classroom with the real world.
“You can try and work on your communication skills,” he said. “How to ask questions, how to approach certain situations, and how to even do a physical exam.”
Volunteers originally worked out of Toledo Masjid Al-Islam, a mosque in downtown Toledo, until Dr. Mahmood Moosa, an endocrinologist, offered them space in his Holland clinic, Elsamaloty said.
Halim Clinic is located on Spring Valley Drive and is open Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Services include wellness checkups and physical examinations for patients with scheduled appointments and walk-ins.
Targeted patients are people who work one or two part-time jobs that do not offer insurance or benefits, Elsamaloty said.
“The ability for us to save patients, you know, hundreds if not thousands of dollars…is rewarding.”
Without having insurance or having to pay high deductibles and copayments, people tend not to visit doctors which can worsen complications, Elhady said.
“With this clinic, we can solve at least part of the problem,” he said. “People can at least come for an initial visit to know if they have to follow up for something serious or is it something simple they can take simple medication and go back home.”
Though the clinic cannot prescribe prescriptions yet and only provides primary care and consultations, it is working with other specialists in the area who the clinic has collaborated with to take referred patients at little to no cost, Elhady said.
Future goals include wanting to add dental and vision services, an in-house pharmacy, and more business hours, Elsamaloty said.
“It’s all about, you know, giving back and making sure that we protect those who are most vulnerable in our community and to make sure they are taken care of.” To schedule an appointment, call 567-318-4069 or visit Halimclinic.org for more information.
 |  |  |
RSS Feed
