CLEVELAND — If you drive down Euclid Avenue, you might not even know it's there.
The Salaam Clinic is nestled downstairs of Masjid Bilal. The free clinic is where Dr. Simee Malik volunteers her time.
Malik has been a pediatrician for 22 years.
She works full-time as a pediatrician with Lake Health Pediatrics in Willoughby, Ohio, and on some weekends she's donating her time and expertise to the Salaam Clinic.
“I've always loved kids,” said Malik. “I think it's my calling.”
Salaam Clinic has been the only free medical clinic in Cleveland since 2019.
It's a place for the underinsured or uninsured population, offering health checkups, primary care and preventative care as well as pediatrics.
“Normally, when I get here, I know how many patients we're going to be seeing,” said Malik.
The clinic can't do vaccinations, but they can tell you what you need to know and point you in the right direction.
“Last time I was here, we did a five-year checkup for school and the child was missing two vaccines,” said Malik. “So we wrote down the name and told them the health department could do it.”
Salaam Clinic plays a vital role in the community.
Especially in a country where an estimated 31 million citizens are not insured. A number that is only expected to increase.
Places like Salaam Clinic and doctors like Malik are truly making a difference in their communities.
“This is really rewarding being able to do it for the underserved population,” said Malik. “Love my day job and love what I'm doing. But this is a good way of giving back to the community.”
Salaam Clinic also has a behavioral health program that runs mainly through telehealth.
If you're in the Cleveland area and interested in making an appointment, visit salaamcleveland.org.