Humans of Clarkston – Omid Zakaria Baridad

Georgia has the second highest rate of uninsured individuals in the country.  In the Clarkston area, this translates to over 15,000 people with no health insurance.  At Mosaic Health Center, we are working to solve this problem, expanding our services to meet the needs of the uninsured.  Our mission is to provide people of diverse means and backgrounds a place where they can receive the compassionate high-quality care that every human deserves.  Our staff collectively speaks 14 languages, and our amazing volunteers provide us with thousands of hours of service every year.  

By providing our community with access to our providers, free medications, on-site labs, health education and navigation, free mammograms and colonoscopies, and referrals for needed procedures - all for $600 per person for an entire year of care - we are helping to make our community healthier, and saving healthcare costs for us all.  If you would like to contribute to our mission, please consider donating today.

15,000 people without health insurance just in our neighborhood is unacceptable.  

This is not just a statistic.  Each of these 15,000 people has a story to tell.  This series shares some of those stories to see the human face behind the numbers.

What is your name?  Omid Zakaria Baridad (name has been changed for the purpose of this story to keep the patient anonymous).

What is your story?  I’m from Afghanistan.  I worked with American forces as a security guard.  When the Taliban came in, the American advisors said they needed to evacuate me and my family.  The Taliban considered me a spy, so they were looking to get people like me.  I was lucky.  Yet, this is life and it comes up and down.  It was a big challenge for us. 

I’ve lived in the U.S. for three years.  When my family came, we had three months of agency support, but after that we had nothing.  I have a large family, and they need me to support them.  But I was ill and unable to work.

How did you find out about MHC?   At One United Community, a nonprofit that supports the Afghan community, I connected with MHC's Wellness Program Director, who is also from Afghanistan.  I was without with insurance and had depression.  He told me Mosaic Health Center had a psychiatrist here, and it was free of cost.  Primary healthcare as well.  My wife came too, and we had medication, therapist, and psychiatrist all free of cost. 

Now my hypertension is managed.  I am feeling better, and now have a job that supports my family.  I am happy to have a job and help my family.  

Apart from management of my health, we were in a difficult position because our food stamps were accidentally stopped.  The doctor helped me to fill out forms and reactivate my food stamps since we relied on those as a family to eat.  So, I’m very thankful to the wellness team for their help. 

What has MHC meant to you?  First of all, on behalf of the family, I’m thankful for the clinic and the wellness team.  Thank for you the service provided to the vulnerable Afghan community.  And the same time, there are other people who need help, so we need to keep the services going.  I hope we can get more grants, and maybe activate dentistry.  Many people are lack insurance and Mosaic Health Center is good help to the community.