Azhaar AloBaidi’s journey to northeast Ohio began more than 10 years ago, when she left Iraq and went to Turkey. From Turkey, she came to Cleveland, where she made a new home for herself and discovered Neighborhood Family Practice (NFP).

The day Azhaar walked through the doors at NFP W 117 Community Health Center (CHC), she knew that she was somewhere special. During her first primary care visit with Sasha Yurgionas MD, and Sawsan, NFP’s Arabic cultural health navigator, Azhaar felt at ease. A trusting relationship was established and Azahar felt comfortable sharing health care needs.

During primary care visits, Sasha spends time speaking with Azhaar about topics including management of her chronic conditions, preventive screenings and immunizations. Prescriptions for needed medications are sent to NFP’s pharmacy and delivered to Azhaar using NFP’s medication home delivery program. One of the things Azhaar remembers the most was Sasha’s recommendation to meet with Noha Elsayed, LPCC, MFP, one of NFP’s clinical counselors. With Noha’s support and guidance, Azhaar learned how to process emotions and feelings connected to traumatizing life events- now they no longer get in the way of her daily life.

Azhaar’s experience magnifies NFP’s approach to the delivery of health care in a way that embraces each patient’s background and culture and meets people where they are. Not only did NFP’s integrated primary medical care and behavioral health services meet Azhaar’s needs, the delivery of services by a team who are fluent in Arabic and understand the cultural nuances provides a level of comfort that Azhaar could not describe in words but was reflected in her smile.  This has made all the difference.

Azhaar, who thinks of NFP as a second home, is planning to be the first patient through the door when NFP’s W. 117^th CHC relocates to a new and larger health center at the corner of W. 130^th Street and Lorain Avenue later this winter.