The Fulfillment of a Dream-
How Imani Clinic was founded
by LaDonna White, MD
(Excerpts from Pathway News, Winter/Spring 1994)

The lack of access to health care by the African-American community has been a long-standing national reality – a reality not lost on African-American UC Davis medical students. A vision was born several years ago to create a clinic for the medically indigent in the African-American community. The backing of the African-American medical student organization – the Student National Medical Association (SNMA) – and a Family Practice research program designed by Jose A. Arevalo, MD, (allowing for the development of a research protocol regarding the establishment of such a clinic) provided the framework for the vision to become a reality.

The basic goals of the proposed clinic have consistently been to develop a well-structured and permanent health care instrumentthat could accomplish the following: to increase awareness of health care access in the underserved African-American community; to provide positive role models for African-American community; and to provide opportunities for medical students to develop clinical skills.

The class of 1996 (and a few members of the class of 1995) decided that all of this important research and vision should not go to waste. New students took on the challenge of seeing the vision to completion. The first thing to do was to find a name for the clinic. By unanimous vote, the chosen name, “Imani,” means, “faith” – faith to believe with all of our hearts in our people, teachers, leaders, and in our cause.

Now we had to find a site for Imani Clinic. We discovered a pilot project already in existence in Oak Park, a community in Sacramento. At our first meeting with the Oak Park project personnel, they were very excited about integrating our vision with theirs. We could use their clinic and services on Saturdays. They were looking for manpower, and we were looking for a facility; a perfect marriage seemed imminent. The County is sponsoring this as a pilot project, and if successful, could lead to many free Saturday clinics like Imani.

The proposed mission statement of Imani Clinic is: 1) to provide medical care, preventive medicine services and health education to the medically underserved and uninsured population in the Sacramento Oak Park area; 2) to enhance the educational training of medical students; and, 3) to provide an atmosphere in which premed and medical students will play an important role in the administrative and economic tasks of the Oak Park Imani Clinic Neighborhood Multiservice Project.

The foundation of this vision is becoming realized. We are closer than we have ever been to making the Imani Clinic a reality. Come and see the fulfillment of a dream!