OU Health Sciences Center, OKC First Church of the Nazarene Dedicate Unity Clinic

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA.  – The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, in partnership with the Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene, last Friday dedicated the Unity Clinic at Cole Community Center – a student-led health clinic that will serve Oklahomans who are homeless or uninsured. As a student-led, interdisciplinary, health clinic, the Unity Clinic is the first service of its kind in the state.

Through the Unity Clinic, individuals can receive primary care services, including health maintenance, disease prevention, counseling, education, and diagnosis and treatment of many types of illnesses. Students and health care providers from 19 distinct disciplines, all seven OU Health Sciences Center colleges, and the Anne and Henry Zarrow School of Social Work at OU are available to treat patients.

“The Unity Clinic is the culmination of over three years of hard work and dedication by more than 100 student leaders and numerous faculty and staff from across the OU Health Sciences Center, along with the School of Social Work,” said Jason Sanders, M.D., MBA, senior vice president and provost of the OU Health Sciences Center and acting chair of the board of OU Medicine. “Because of their efforts, students have created a partnership opportunity to deliver patient-centered, high-quality health care to underserved populations and improve Oklahoma’s health outcomes.”

Danial Gebreili, a fourth-year medical student at OU, founded the Unity Clinic project with other students, faculty and staff from the Health Sciences Center in the spring of 2017, with its first location at Good Shepherd in Oklahoma City. Based on feedback he received from students, faculty and staff – and the clear need for the clinic’s services in the community – the Unity Clinic at Cole Community Center became the project’s second location.

“The Unity Clinic is not a location, but rather a method of taking care of patients,” Gebreili said. “We believe that by meeting our patients where they are, we can provide them with quality comprehensive care and help them achieve their health goals.”

The second clinic site, located at the Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene Cole Community Center, 4400 Northwest Expressway, Oklahoma City, OK 73116, will be open for appointments from 8 a.m. – noon every Friday.

“We are thrilled to welcome the Unity Clinic to the Cole Community Center,” said Jon Middendorf, lead pastor of Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene. “Through this partnership, we will be able to provide essential health services to those in our community who are uninsured or experiencing homelessness.”

“What makes this clinic unique is it allows us to serve our community while providing groundbreaking educational experience for the future health care professionals of our state,” Gebreili said.

For more information about the Unity Clinic or to make an appointment, visit ipe.ouhsc.edu/Unity-Clinic.

Photo Below: Organizers dedicate the Unity Clinic at Cole Community Center on Friday, Feb. 5. Pictured from left are OU Health Sciences Center Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Faculty Development Dr. Valerie Williams, Unity Clinic Chair Danial Gebreili, OKC First Church of the Nazarene Administrative and Middle School Pastor Rev. Avarilla Flemming, OKC First Church of the Nazarene Lead Pastor Rev. Jon Middendorf, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, and Cole Community Center Director Rev. Mike Laughlin.

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About the University of Oklahoma
Founded in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. OU serves the educational, cultural, economic and health care needs of the state, region and nation. For more information visit www.ou.edu.

About Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene

Oklahoma City First Church of the Nazarene has been committed to meeting the needs of our local community for more than 100 years. OKC First seeks to be a voice for hope and progress in our Wesleyan theological tradition, and the Cole Community Center is one of our primary avenues for engaging, empowering, and interacting with our neighbors. Together we are learning to do three things: friendship with God, friendship with one another, and open friendship for the sake of the world.