The Shifa Clinic will host its 5th Annual Benefit Dinner on Saturday, March 18th at the Holiday Inn in Mount Pleasant. The event will include special guests and speakers Dr. Altaf Hussain and Jennet Robinson Alterman. The event aids fundraising efforts for the clinic’s services for the coming year.
The Shifa Clinic’s mission is to provide “compassionate and high quality medical care to uninsured, indigent adult residents of our community regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or national origin and to put into practice the Islamic teachings of compassion, mercy, and service to humanity.” It’s a non-profit and tax exempt clinic established by The Islamic Circle of North America Relief USA (ICNA Relief USA).
Along with medical services, the clinic has three hunger prevention programs including child hunger prevention and a food pantry. Patients must meet the following criteria for free services: be between the ages of 19-64, have no health insurance, and have an income level that falls within 250% of the federal poverty level based on the number of people in the household.
“In South Carolina today, an estimated 123,000 residents can't afford health insurance, and therefore can't receive desperately needed medical care,” Dr. Reshma Kahnsaid, the Shifa Clinic's medical director said. “Many of them are unemployed, underinsured, or have fallen through the gaps in the health system where they don't qualify for federal assistance, yet can't afford monthly insurance premiums.”
The benefit dinner will feature a silent auction, appetizers, and an opportunity for progressive and active dialogue for all. Individual donations and tickets can be purchased at http://shifa.icnarelief.org.
The Shifa Clinic is located in Mount Pleasant.
