OUR STORY

Salam Clinic was founded by Dr. Zia Moiz Ahmad in 2008 along with the help of Dr. Nadeem Ahmed, Dr. Bahar Bastani and Mr. Khalid Shah.

Having worked in healthcare and interfaith activities for a number of years, this group saw first hand the long term consequences of not having access to basic medical care with dire economic consequences. These negative and devastating effects were visited upon communities of all faiths and backgrounds which led toa never ending cycle of poverty and poor health. They also saw that basic medical care, when provided in a timely manner, can have a very favorable effect on the lives of individuals, families and entire communities.

Three significant motivating factors led to the start of Salam Clinic: the recognition of the problem very limited access healthcare for a large number of
St. Louis citizens; the significant positive outcome of providing basic timely medical care at extremely low cost; and the commitment to help the ones in need according to the tenets of their faith. Salam Clinic has its roots in the faith and dedication of three different groups who have come together to help the St. Louis community. Muslim Community Services, Deaconess Faith Nurses and Lane Tabernacle Church joined hands to launch the  weekly free clinic in 2008.  Muslim Community Services provided the physicians for the clinics. The physician volunteers came from different faiths. Deaconess Faith Nurses staffed the clinics with nursing staff. The clinic staff,  space and other support services were provided by Lane Tabernacle Church. Laboratory services were provided by St. Mary's Hospital of SSM Health from 2008 till 2015. Since then, CliniLab has been providing free laboratory services for patients of Salam Clinic.

The success of this interfaith collaborative effort led to the opening of a second Salam Clinic location. In 2013,  Salam Clinic opened its doors at St. Peter's Church in Ferguson. The third Salam Clinic location started operating in Benton Park at Epiphany Church in 2019.  In January of 2020,  Salam Clinic  added Mental Health Services at the Ferguson Clinic location. 

Currently a group of 30 physicians of different specialties help staff the clinics. Additionally 10 nursing and administrative staff volunteer their time.