Monday, October 28, 1996
Students, doctors come together to provide free health care for
South Central residentsBy Kathryn Combs
Daily Bruin Contributor
On April 29, 1992, the day of the Rodney King verdict, an
already economically-challenged community was ravaged by its own
people.
Four years after the riots, the South Central Los Angeles
community, along with volunteers from UCLA, are working together to
rebuild and renew their sense of community.
Beginning with immediate health concerns, the University Muslim
Medical Association Free Clinic officially opened Saturday, only
blocks from the place where the 1992 riots began, to provide free
medical services to the surrounding community.
Originally conceived four years ago by a group of UCLA/Drew
medical students, the grand opening of the clinic witnessed the
realization of a dream for core founders Rushdi Abdul Cader, Nisha
Abdul Cader, Altaf Kazi, Raziya Shaikh, Mansur Khan, Khaliq Siddiq
and Charlie Browne, some of whom are now doctors.
"We struggle to get students to understand that their role in
life is not monolithic  it is much more dual … They have to
understand that they can do for themselves, they can do for
(others)," said Tim Ngubeni, director of the Center for Student
Programming’s Community Project Office.
"These students understood that and it became a reality today,"
he continued. "UCLA students come through and they come through
with flying colors  that should be commended."
A partnership between the UCLA School of Medicine, Charles R.
Drew University and the University Muslim Medical Association
(UMMA), the UMMA Free Clinic is funded by the Department of Housing
and Urban Development.
Umma is an Arabic word meaning community, the founders said.
While the Free Clinic is largely based on Muslim values, such as
the importance of charity, volunteers are from various religious
and ethnic communities.
"Our Community Project Office (CPO) motto is not just doing
‘charity work’ but more, by empowering the community to take charge
of themselves," said Ather Ali, director of Community Programs at
UCLA.
The CPO coordinates the efforts of volunteers from UCLA with the
needs of underserved communities such as South Central, Ali
said.
The Free Clinic staff consists entirely of volunteers, including
doctors, attending nurses, medical students, pre-medical students
and other community members.
Another key player in making the clinic possible was Los Angeles
City Councilwoman Rita Walters. Formerly a run down child care
center with asbestos ridden walls and toxins in the ground, the
site that the clinic now sits on is a result of Walters’ work with
UMMA and city architect Bill Holland.
"We have been able to turn what was once literally a threat to
public health … into something that will now serve the health of
this community," said Rushdi Abdul Cader, medical director and
founder of the clinic.
Abdul Cader was always involved in volunteering for the
community while attending UCLA as a medical student. In 1989, he
helped found the Incarcerated Youth Tutorial Program through the
CPO office. For Abdul Cader, the Free Clinic is only an extension
of an already existing personal obligation to help those less
fortunate.
"They’ve been at this now since they were second-year medical
students … They have had more obstacles in the past …(but there
was) never a day were they ever dissuaded," said Dr. Reed Tuckson,
president of Charles R. Drew University and mentor to Abdul
Cader.
"They maintained their energy and faith … I’m just so proud of
their tenacity of their willingness to sustain their struggle and
the faith that inspires them," he said.
As another advisor on the project, Dr. Richard Usatine,
associate professor of Family Medicine at UCLA, sees the clinic as
an answer to the need for health care in underserved
communities.
"As a teacher in the school of medicine, one of my greatest
pleasures is to help create programs that inspire students to reach
the highest heights of humanity," Usatine said. "I realized that it
wasn’t about what community I came from, but that (the clinic) was
a bringing together, an inclusion of people working to do something
for the community."
According to Usatine, two-thirds of physicians in the United
States are specialists, while only one-third are general
practitioners, directly affecting the availability of affordable
health care for underprivileged communities.
"In order to have a cost-effective and comprehensive health care
delivery system, you should have a 50-50 mix between specialists
and general practitioners," he added. The Free Clinic, as a general
medical clinic hopes to provide more general medical care that
Usatine says is needed today.
In coordination with the Community Programs Office, the UCLA
School of Medicine will continue to provide volunteers for the
clinic throughout the year, Usatine said.
"We’re going to have to be open seven days a week just to be
able to meet the interest of the students in providing care. The
education here is about giving to the community," Usatine said.
Programs at the clinic will focus on education and the
development of positive community values, such as non-violent
conflict resolution and respect for the opposite gender.
"If these students leave here and continue to give to the
community throughout their careers like they have done here, that
will be special," Usatine concluded.
GENEVIEVE LIANG
Rushdi Abdul Cader, M.D., graduate of UCLA and co-medical
director and founder of the UMMA free clinic, which opened
Saturday.GENEVIEVE LIANG
City Councilwoman Rita Walters, left, hands out awards with
Raziya Shaikh, right, UCLA graduate and manager of the UMMA free
clinic.GENEVIEVE LIANG
Rushdi Abdul Cader, M.D., shows guests around the University
Muslim Medical Association’s free clinic during its grand
opening.