Ibn Sina Breaks Ground on New Rupani Dental Clinic

By Jawahar Malhotra

HOUSTON: Harris County Commissioners Court Judge Ed Emmett along with State Rep. Alma Allen, the Consul General of Pakistan Aisha Farooqui  and other honored officials and guests officially broke ground on Saturday, April 29 for the Ibn Sina Foundation’s 7th community clinic, the Ramzan Ali & Sher Banu Rupani Dental Clinic, in Southwest Houston.  The new clinic will be located in the vacant ground behind the Children’s Clinic at the 11226 Wilcrest location at the city’s southwest side.

The Ibn Sina Wilcrest Community clinic already provides low cost dental care services to low income, uninsured and indigent patients in the back portion of the facility. Keeping in view the high demand for low cost dental services, the need was seen to expand by building a separate stand alone facility. The officials were given a tour of the existing Wilcrest Medical and recently opened Children’s Clinic facilities.

The guests were seated under a white tent erected for the occasion in the parking lot and treated to a small program emceed by Zeenat Mitah. A Tilawat was presented by Salima Ali, followed by an Urdu poem “Lab pe atti he du’a” performed by the young Saif Satani, who also sang the National Anthem after it was first played out on the saxophone by another young African-American performer. The guests were treated to tea-coffee and snacks prior to the event and a boxed lunch from Hot Breads after the event concluded around 2pm. Though it was a gusty day, the weather held inspite of predictions of rain.

As he welcomed the audience, the Chairman of the Ibn Sina Foundation, Nasruddin Rupani, whose family has donated the entire cost of the approximately 6,000 sf, single-story building, dedicated the clinic to the memory of his parents for whom it is named. “It is a gift from the Rupani family to the ISF and the entire community,” he said.

Rupani appreciated the support of state, city, county, donor agencies, individual philanthropist and business and medical professionals towards the establishment of Ibn Sina Foundation’s six community clinics. Rupani continued that the ISF clinics across the city were a unique example of public-private partnerships to take care of the over 1 million of uninsured in the greater Houston area. He noted that the ISF clinics have seen 80,000 patient visits a year and this is projected to go up to 100,000 by 2020.

According to Rupani, the Foundation has provided medical and dental care to more than 650,000 patients through its six stand-alone clinics in the Greater Houston Area. He also noted that all the people need quality medical care regardless of their ability to pay and Ibn Sina Foundation’s mission is to provide quality care to all who come to the facility without any discrimination. He stressed that the city needed more clinics like these to provide healthcare rather than to have the poor and uninsured go to the emergency rooms of hospitals, which would cost the county much more to care for, noting that it would save the County millions of dollars.

In response, Emmett praised the mission and work of the foundation through medical and dental clinics. He congratulated the Rupani family for their contributions to the ISF clinics and realized that the new dental clinic would free up space in the medical clinic and allow it to see more patients.

“Sixteen years ago, the ISF made this clinic to help their fellow man and treat all of them,” he said, adding that he was impressed by what he saw on the tour. Emmett noted that Harris County had only 8 healthcare clinics, whereas Cook County in the Chicago area had 81, and saw a need to expand through public partnerships (one example is the Harris Health Clinic in India House on W. Bellfort). He said he will call Harris Health to see how they can help the ISF clinics.

“These clinics will allow people to get help and become more productive. Generations will benefit and make the country greater,” Emmett said. “Don’t listen to those who label Pakistani-Americans as another minority,” he added. “This clinic shows how the Pakistani-American community is great.”

Other speakers included State Rep Allen of Dist. 131 who has been re-elected four times and said the clinic was critically needed. CG Farooqui said she was pleased that the Pakistani-American community was so entrenched here and served the rest of the community. “I congratulate the Rupani family, but most importantly your mother for instilling these values in you,” she said.

Murad Ajani President of Ismaili Council Southwestern US said that Muslims believe we must help those who are infirm and cannot help themselves. He quoted the Aga Khan that healthcare was a basic human need.

Others who spoke were Mustafa Tameez, founder of Outreach Strategists public relations and political consultants and a frequent commentator on Channel 26 TV. He commended Judge Emmett for “pitching a tent, like this for these high winds, for all of us to shelter under. He never lets us down.”

The last speaker was the President of the Pakistan Association of Greater Houston, M.J. Khan, and a former Houston Councilman who was immediately interrupted by a heckler (soon escorted out) in the audience. He remembered when he was instrumental, as a councilman, in getting the City of Houston to financially support the building of the first ISF clinic 11 years ago “and so far 700,000 have gone through the doors.” He continued that now that healthcare funding nationally is in jeopardy, it is vital that people like the Rupani family’s generosity be appreciated.

Proclamations were presented by Jay Guerrero of Sen. John Cornyn’s office; Sam Merchant from US Congressman Al Green’s office and Soren Valverde of Councilman Dr. Steve Lee’s office. The event ended with thanks from Ramzan Farishta, Vice Chairman of the ISF.