STATE OF THE ART $1.8 MILLION COMMUNITY MEDICAL CLINIC EXPANSION COMPLETED Mayor Bill White celebrates Grand Opening of Ibn Sina Community Medical Clinic
March 29, 2007 -- Mayor Bill White, Housing Director Richard Celli, along with city officials, and the Ibn Sina Foundation group of local physicians, business, and health care professionals celebrated the opening of a new $1.8 million Community Medical Clinic at 11226 South Wilcrest Drive in Southwest Houston. The ceremony consisted of a reception, tour and ribbon cutting by Mayor White and dignitaries.
"All Houstonians deserve adequate healthcare services regardless of their economic condition. We needed comprehensive community healthcare and clinics such as the Ibn Sina Community Clinic," said Mayor Bill White. "The Ibn Sina Clinic targets residents' needs that may include primary care, mental health, dental, pharmacy and hospital admission services to the medically underserved in that area."
This 5,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility was built with funding from Houston's Philanthropic Community, and Community Development Block Grant, funds administered by the Houston Housing and Community Development Department.
The Community Medical Center will house a number of specialty medical clinics dedicated to Houston's underserved families: Cardiology, pediatrics, gynecology, diagnostic imaging, oncology and ophthalmology. The new center also has a pharmacy and dental clinic. Many of the physicians and dentists volunteer their time to provide care to Houston's uninsured, poverty-stricken families.
The Ibn Sina Foundation was established in 2001 by a group of local physicians, business, and health care professionals to bridge the growing gap between the health care needs of a rapidly expanding population of underserved families, and the ability of existing public institutions to meet their needs. The foundation's mission is to ensure the health of the community by providing integrated preventive and primary care in a clinical setting through the dissemination and application of health related knowledge, thereby enhancing the quality of life for future generations.
Since its inception, Ibn Sina has provided free or reduced medical and dental care for 43,000 patients plus another 4,000 through its Outreach Program (via churches, synagogues, temples, etc.). This past year, 9,000 patients were treated in the old office space of 1,000 square feet in Southwest Houston.
The first Ibn Sina Community Medical Clinic was established in Southwest Houston in 2001. Even though the clinic was designed to specifically focus on Southwest Houston, patients now arrive from all parts of the city. The second Ibn Sina Community Medical Clinic was established in 2004 in Southeast Houston/Clear Lake. The majority of the patients seen in this clinic are from far Southeast Houston.
For more information, please contact: Dr. Aijaz Khowaja, CEO, Ibn Sina Foundation and Community Medical Clinics at 713.777.7462 or visit the website: at www.ibnsinafoundation.org.
