Clarkston Community Health Center

MISSION & HISTORY

The Clarkston Community Health Center (CCHC) was co-founded in 2015 by Dr. Saeed Raees and Dr. Gulshan Harjee. They founded the clinic after witnessing first-hand the undeniable prevalence of underinsured and uninsured individuals among the Clarkston residents. With this in mind, they set out to create a nonprofit clinic that would provide quality healthcare. The mission of CCHC is to establish a state-of-the-art, culturally and linguistically competent primary and preventive healthcare facility to provide quality, affordable, accessible and comprehensive health care services to the residents of DeKalb and surrounding counties.

We believe Healthcare is a Human Right. It is our goal to make sure everyone who needs it is able to receive it.

 Saeed Raess
Pharmacist, Co-founder & CEOGulshan Harjee
Physician, Co-founder & CMO

WHAT DO WE DO?

CCHC is a free health clinic for the uninsured, and a proud partner of the Georgia Volunteer Health Care Program (GVHCP) of the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH). With the help of the dedicated volunteers, CCHC expanded from providing solely primary medical care to include dental care, women's healthcare, vision care, and mental healthcare. In response to COVID-19, we launched telehealth services in 2020 -increasing our capacity from 2 days per week to seeing patients remotely 7 days per week. Our expansion has been made possible by the overwhelming number of volunteers who help us continue to grow along with our strong community partnerships. 

We partner with Emory University School of Medicine, Emory University School of Nursing, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mercer University, and other reputable institutions to provide world-class doctors, specialists, nurses, and students – Our volunteer medical staff are the backbone of our clinic. 

Key Accomplishments:

• Surpassed 5,500 patients in Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and offer 40+ services.
• Provided mammograms to over 350 women since 2018. Three patients are free of cancer due to these screenings and follow-up care.
• Provide free medications to low-income patients as well as INSULIN to diabetic patients at a time when insulin is in short supply and prohibitively expensive throughout the country.
• Collaborated with many esteemed healthcare and educational institutions in Georgia.

COVID-19 RESPONSE:

While 2020 and 2021 have proven to be an unprecedented time of uncertainty, our team has responded to the call for action to act as a safeguard in a time of crisis to our community. 

Here is some of the work done by our wonderful and committed team in response to the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Increased the numbers of patients treated each month from 150 during pre-pandemic days to 500 per month, thanks to implementing telehealth technology and our committed volunteers and students.
• Partnered with DeKalb Board of Health to administer over 1,000 free COVID-19 tests to members of our high-risk community.
• Partnered with Rollins School of Public Health to deliver high-level contact tracing for those who have been exposed to coronavirus.
• Administered COVID-19 vaccinations to at-risk community members, providing answers in a culturally appropriate manner in over 30 different languages.
• Provided PPE to high-risk members of the community suffering from chronic health conditions.
• Delivered over 100 meals to COVID-19 positive families in collaboration with Glitter of Hope.
• Provided 153 free mammograms for women in our community who would otherwise not have access to this critical service.
• Provided over 2,500 feminine hygiene products to patients coming to our drive-through COVID-19 testing during quarantine.
• Offered in-person, specialty clinics, delivering free insulin and other life-saving medications to our patients who rely on our pharmacy and point-of-care lab.

Our hardworking team provides free COVID-19 tests.

Take a listen to what our patient is saying:

How can YOU help?

We ask for your help to reach our $10,000 goal to expand services and increase access to care for the uninsured and underinsured population that is in need of care. 

With a one-time or monthly gift, you can make a tangible difference in the lives of our patients:

$10 – Fund a Free Follow-Up Blood Test for 1 Patient 

$25 – Give a Free Diabetes Starter Kit (including Glucometer, Lancets, and Glucose Strips) for 1 Patient 

$50 – Contribute Free Prescription Glasses to 1 Patient

$125 - Provide a Free Mammogram for 1 Patient

$250 – Gift a Free Dental Cleaning and Consultation for 1 Patient 

$625 – Supply Free Insulin to ALL of our Diabetic Patients for 1 month!

⭐️ Please consider supporting CCHC by donating *any* amount you choose!

With peace,
CCHC Family

Our diverse team during a Georgia Volunteer Health Care Program (GVHCP) training at our clinic. Our team resembles the community and patients whom we serve. We speak 30 languages at our practice!

We established partnerships with many esteemed educational and healthcare institutions.