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About the Mariam Clinic

Did you know that in North Carolina;

• An estimated three of our working-aged North Carolinians died each day in 2006 simply because they lacked
health insurance (over 1,000 per year).
• Adults in North Carolina are spending $24.1 billion each year in health care costs related to physical inactivity,
excess weight, type II diabetes and low fruit and vegetable consumption.
• Uninsured adults were 6 times more likely to delay medical care than people with insurance.
• Uninsured adults are 25% more likely to die prematurely due to lack of health insurance.
• Wake County's uninsured adult population in 2009 was 21% (97,000 people).

History of the Clinic

In May 2004, the Trent Foundation at Duke awarded a $4,000 seed grant to a group of Duke Physicians; Dr. Sumera Hayat, Dr. Jeffrey Wilkinson, Dr. Evan Myers and attorney Sham-e-Ali al-Jamil. Their goal was to research the health needs of Muslim women in the Triangle. What they found was that the health needs of Muslim women and barriers to achieving these needs were the same as those for other communities in the region. Immigrant women and those without insurance especially faced the most daunting barriers.

• Women reported delaying pap smears for years after poor
  experiences with healthcare providers who were culturally
  insensitive.
• Pregnant women did not get the care they qualified for during their
  pregnancy because they were uninformed.
• Uninsured Parents did not realize that their children could qualify for
  health coverage through state and federal programs.
• Uninsured working adults cannot go to doctor’s offices on weekdays
  during work hours and they are frequently left only with urgent care
  or emergency room clinics on weekends.

In 2005, a group of students from Duke and UNC joined the project and created the non-profit now known as the Mariam Clinic. They organized the community support needed to start Mariam Clinic’s outreach programs. The Mariam Clinic is an interfaith health care organization pioneering in an integrated, comprehensive approach to health and well-being. Our goal is to build a healthier society through:

• Service - providing free medical care to the uninsured.
• Responsibility - helping patients to help themselves through preventive health care programs.
• Interaction - bringing together diverse volunteers who find common ground through achieving these goals.

The Mariam Clinic was incorporated in August 2005, the Board of Directors was formed and the bylaws were approved in September. We also applied for federal 501(c)(3) non-profit status in October. We conducted large-scale needs assessment survey in November, finalized an agreement for facilities use in December and finally opened our doors in early February 2006. We were also able to hold a number of workshops and classes in both Durham and Cary throughout the Spring months.

Our medical services and ACCESS Center for social services, which was open to all, began seeing patients on October 21, 2007. Now and more than 1000 uninsured patients later, the clinic is still one of the only non-emergency room options for healthcare available on Sundays.

The Ancient Art of Medicine

The art of medicine, sina'at al-tibb in Arabic, can be traced back to the biblical prophet Enoch and the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Iran, India and China. Medicine in these societies was closely linked to religion, with the basic premise of each tradition holding that health has not only physical, but spiritual and ethical as well. Following in the footsteps of their forebears, medieval Islamic physicians absorbed these ideas in harmony with Islam’s stated connection between spiritual and physical well-being.

Medicine and advanced health care institutions flourished in early Islamic civilization. Known as bimaristans, Islamic medical institutions were devoted both to the curing of disease and the promotion of health. They were known for their high quality of care and their openness to everybody, regardless of gender, social class, race or religion.

Early physicians had much to say about the art of medicine and perhaps are awaiting their "second chance" to influence Western medical though. At the Mariam Clinic, we are guided by their wisdom, traditions and ideals.