Hyattsville resident Arif Naseem's career as a Realtor was going well before the recession kicked in last year, hitting the housing industry particularly hard. With so many people out of work and many others skittish about spending during an economic downturn, fewer people were in the market to buy a home.

"I'm trying my best to pick up the pieces," Naseem said.

In the past, Naseem had health insurance through his wife's company, but when she lost her job, they found themselves without any coverage.

"We found out about a clinic in Laurel that offers free services from members at our mosque, and I go there now," Naseem said, referring to the free medical and psychiatric treatment that Laurel cardiologist Dr. Feroz Padder and his two siblings, Dr. Golshan Nazir and Dr. Tanveer Padder, of Columbia, began offering to those with no health insurance in October of last year.

Nazir sees uninsured patients for general medical needs, Feroz Padder handles those who need specialized care and tests for heart problems and Columbia psychiatrist Tanveer Padder sees mental health care clients.

"I don't know of anyone who offers this kind of comprehensive (free) coverage. I got good care and it was 100 percent free," Naseem said. "This is a good thing to have in Laurel."

Initially the Padders provided free medical services for a half day on Fridays in Nazir's family practice office at 8367 Cherry Lane. Because of the response, they have extended the medical services there to a full day on Fridays.

"My sister usually sees 10 (uninsured) patients on that day (Friday), so it gets pretty full, which is why we do it all day now" said Feroz Padder. "We have a physician's assistant now to help her."

Services for uninsured mental health care patients are still offered on half days each Friday by Tanveer Padder in Feroz Padder's office on Van Dusen Road.

Feroz Padder said, "People may not know about the free psychiatric services because we have not been that busy. I thought we'd have more psychiatric patients. We plan to get the word out on it more, especially with the churches,"

Feroz Padder came up with the idea of offering free health care services to the uninsured after he went through a major tragedy in 2006. On the afternoon of Oct. 31, his wife, Amira, was taking their 9-year-old daughter, Ayesha, and 4-year-old son, Ali, to swimming class when she hit an 18-wheel truck head on. All three were killed in the accident.

Padder said the moment he was told of their deaths, he instantly decided to establish a foundation in their honor to help others. The free clinic in Laurel is one of many projects funded through the Ayesha & Ali Padder Foundation.

"At the time of the accident, I just thought God didn't just want me to take care of just my children, but many others," Padder said in an earlier interview.

'Learning as we go along'

The uninsured patients who come to the free clinic in Laurel range from the unemployed to veterans waiting for their benefits to be approved.

"I met a lady whose son had just come back from Iraq who had PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and no insurance. He comes here because it takes time for him to qualify in the VA (Veteran's Administration) system and he needed help right away," Padder said.

When the free clinic opened last year, the Padders sometimes saw patients who had high incomes before they lost their jobs, but Padder said they are trying to weed those types of clients out, because they are not their target group.

"One guy came in who was a CPA, but had lost his job. We may see someone like that one time, but we won't do any follow up with them because since we can only see so many people, we're trying to see the most needy," he said.

All uninsured patients are seen by appointment and the only fees they may be charged come from outside labs when they need tests such as blood work.

"The bill to the patient for a routine liver or kidney blood test could cost $100 to $150," Padder said. "Labs charge cash-paying patients more than insured patients, so we're working with two labs to try and get them to give these patients lower rates."

Laurel clinic is the foundation's first clinic and Padder said as it is expanding, they are fine-tuning it to fit the needs of the uninsured.

"We're learning as we go along," he said. "I hope eventually to provide free services five days a week."

Through the foundation, the Padders are also funding projects in their homeland of Kashmir, a long-disputed area lying between India and Pakistan. This year, 12 orphan girls in Kashmir will be able to get married because of the contributions they received from the foundation.

"There's a big demand for this. We usually give each from $600 to $1,000," Padder said. "We also give students scholarships. My brother went home last month and we issued about 100 scholarships to students so they can go to college."

The Padders have also established a book bank in Kashmir so students in need can borrow the books they need to study to pass required exams for those who want to continue their education.

Locally, the Padder's foundation is providing food to homeless shelters in Columbia and Baltimore, and they have finalized college scholarship application forms for area students that will be distributed to schools in March.

Padder's efforts to help the less fortunate have not gone unnoticed by Maryland officials. In April, Padder received the Governor's Volunteer Service Award in recognition of his free clinic and foundation activities. Earlier this year, in February, he received the citizen of the month award from the Laurel City Council.

In addition to his practice and the free clinic, Padder, who is remarried, is enjoying his 8-month-old son, Ibrahim, and is hoping his wife, Dr. Edisa Padder, a pediatrician, will join the free clinic and provide free health care to infants and children.

To make an appointment at the Padders' free clinic, call 301-498-4700.

---

user comments (0)