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(LOS ANGELES, CA) The upcoming presidential election has renewed interest in national healthcare issues that increasingly are being addressed by health centers founded by Muslim Americans. A groundbreaking study released recently outlines the unique and vital role such centers play in their communities.

 

A report released by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) outlines how Muslim community-based health organizations (MCBHOs) are providing a critical safety net in health care access for the most underserved communities in America. The first-of-its-kind study, titled “Caring for Our Neighbors,” provides a deeper understanding of the motivations that drive American-Muslim health providers, the demographic makeup of the populations they serve and the clinics’ growing role in American public health and community building.

“The rise of these Muslim health organizations draws an interesting parallel to other religiously affiliated hospitals such as St. Luke’s or Cedars Sinai, which initially were started to help those who couldn’t get care anywhere else” said Lance Laird, ISPU fellow and author of the report.

“That service model remains all the more important today as rising health care costs are leaving a growing number of families uninsured,” said Laird. “What we found is that these clinics are stepping in to meet a critical need in communities across America.”

The report tracks the development and service models of 10 Muslim health clinics in four U.S. cities with large populations of American Muslims: Los Angeles, Detroit, Houston and Chicago.

“This pioneering study begins to paint a cohesive picture of the valuable contributions being made every day by American-Muslim health professionals,” said Dr. Faisal Qazi, board member with the Association of Muslim Health Professionals Foundation. “Whether running community health clinics focusing on the underserved, working in nationally recognized research institutions or serving as general practitioners, American Muslim health professionals are motivated by our faith and a strong desire to give back. For many of us this is truly faith in action.”

Researchers found that while the clinics’ service models vary, their services are universally available to everyone, regardless of their patients’ ethnic or religious background, at a low cost or even free of charge. As a result, the vast majority of their patients come from families living below the federal poverty level and almost always lack health insurance.

According the report’s findings, the clinics operate on lean budgets, relying heavily on donated equipment and volunteer physicians, many of whom are first-generation American Muslims who are driven by a desire to give back to the country that welcomed them as immigrants with open arms. The report also documents the emergence of a new American-born generation of Muslims dedicated to serving the only country they have ever known.