The economic climate and spike in unemployment rates throughout the country have rendered some people and families uninsured, but San Luis Obispo is setting an example for others by providing quality health care — free of charge.
The SLO Noor Foundation Free Clinic (SNFFC), which currently offers free primary care and vision services, opened Oct. 15 on Phillips Dr., Suite B-4.
Executive director and founder of the SNFFC Dr. Ahmad Nooristani has been developing this project for years and said he is excited to finally see the results of his efforts, but the real work is just beginning.
“Thirty percent of this county is uninsured, and the numbers are growing, given the current economy,” Nooristani said. “Preventative medicine is something that is lacking in the country. I saw a patient within the first day of opening that hadn’t seen a doctor in three, four years.”
With help from approximately 400 volunteers, funding from a number of sponsors and donors and assistance from other health professionals, Nooristani said he has learned that giving out free health care is not as easy as it might seem.
“I think I’ve been spending about 20 hours a week for the past few years to get this up and running,” Nooristani said. “You just got to have the passion for it. As a physician, you make a commitment to taking care of people.”
Nooristani, an internist at French Hospital and Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, started working in San Luis Obispo in 2008 and said he almost immediately started to look for ways in which he could help the community. After spending time in the city, Nooristani said he put two similar projects on hold that he had started in Afghanistan and Kenya to work on the SNFFC.
“I just want to thank the community for recognizing the importance of this project, supporting it and making it happen,” Nooristani said. “Hopefully we can get more volunteers in different areas, specifically Cal Poly.”
Included in the 400 volunteers that helped get the clinic started were several Cal Poly students and alumni. Nooristani said the SNFFC can give students real-world experience in the medical field, and that it is looking for anyone who is interested in helping out a good cause.
Biochemistry alumna Gayle Warneke is one of those volunteers.
“Whether it’s medical, they’re an English major or they have experience in accounting, we could use anyone as long as they have any kind of motivation to help out their community,” Warneke said.
Warneke has been working with Nooristani since she met him two years ago while she was working as a scribe at French Hospital. She said working for Nooristani’s foundation started off as something that would help her career, but looking on all the work that went into creating the SNFFC, she has been inspired by him.
“All I can describe it as is selfless,” Warneke said. “I don’t think he looks for any praise from people. He just wants to see that people are helped and he can impact the community and inspire others.”
Office manager Tommy Barber said he agreed with Warneke’s impression of Nooristani after working with the SNFFC for a few months. He said he has trouble explaining to people in San Luis Obispo why someone would do this and just how good an offer this is.
“It’s the first of its kind,” Barber said. “A lot of people ask, ‘What’s the catch?,’ but don’t realize there is none, and that this man has dedicated two years of his life getting through all the red tape. It is inspiring.”
Now that the SNFFC has gotten through the development stage, they will provide the county with free health care on Friday and Saturdays from 1 to 5 p.m.
They currently offer primary care and vision services but hope to expand to dental once they see a higher number of patients and funds.
“We need to get the word out to students, the homeless and other people that are uninsured,” Barber said. “It’s important for people to get their first initial exam. We’ve got to get to get people in here.”