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Cleveland, OH

Free clinic appreciation month

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Free clinic appreciation month


CLEVELAND — There are more than half a million people in Ohio who do not have health insurance.


What You Need To Know

  • Ohio has 59 free and charitable clinics and pharmacies that provide essential care for the uninsured
  • CHN supports clinics in 86 of the state’s 88 counties 
  • In 2024, Salaam Clinic saw around 700 patients; this year, that number doubled to nearly 1400 patients seen

Ohio has 59 free and charitable clinics and pharmacies that provide essential care for the uninsured. They’re supported by the Charitable Healthcare Network, and this month, CHN is celebrating the care they provide to patients in 86 of the state’s 88 counties.

Salaam Clinic is one of several clinics in Cleveland. They see hundreds of patients a year. Shafeeq Sabir is one of those patients.

“The opportunity is there for me to see a doctor, a physician, without having to worry about a cost factor,” said Sabir.

Sabir has insurance but said he has a copay, and he’s on a fixed income. Salaam Clinic takes in uninsured, underinsured and those who cannot afford care.

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“Sometimes I can’t afford the copay, so I would prefer to come here for an exam before I go and see my primary physician,” said Sabir.

Salaam Clinic is part of the Charitable Healthcare Network. The network is celebrating Free Clinic Appreciation Month this December.

The network is Ohio’s statewide system that supports free and charitable clinics. Jason Koma is CHN’s Executive Director. He said the network’s 59 clinics provide high-quality health care to those who need it.

“We are the backbone of the safety net of health care in the state of Ohio,” said Koma.

More than 60,000 patients were seen at one of the network’s facilities from Jan. to Sept. 2025. In 2024, the clinics saw nearly 80,000 patients.

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The network’s clinics offer a wide range of services including primary care, specialty, dental, vision, behavioral health, social services, pharmacy, education, prescriptions, tests and insurance enrollment. In 2024, CHN’s clinics provided $224 million worth of services to patients all over the state. The network is supported by funds from the Ohio Department of Health and the state budget.

The Ohio Department of Health said this in a statement.

“Free clinics are an integral part of the healthcare system in Ohio, which is why the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) financially supports healthcare services to patients who lack the funds or insurance coverage to pay for vital health services.

ODH support comes through the Uninsured Care Fund, a general revenue fund line item used to support free and charitable clinics providing medical and dental care at free or reduced costs to uninsured and underinsured Ohioans. These funds pay for primary healthcare services to any uninsured person who gets healthcare services at a free clinic in Ohio.”

Every fiscal year, CHN gets $1.75 million to support the individual clinics around the state.

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Salaam Clinic receives funding from several sources, including CHN. Dr. Syed Shoaib Shah is the CEO of the Salaam Clinic.

“Year over year it takes about $230,000 to run the clinic,” said Shah. “We have a part time nurse practitioner on staff as well as an administrative assistant and then includes all the supplies, all that lets us run all the mobile clinics, all the pop-up clinics that we do around the city.”

However, the clinic doesn’t always get the full amount, and the clinic is looking at other options, including private donations.

“Without the Charitable Healthcare Network in our clinics, these folks would have nowhere else to go,” said Koma. “Probably ending up in the emergency room and getting sicker and sicker and sicker.”

According to UnitedHealthcare, the average emergency room visit costs $1700, but the cost depends on the services and care provided. Shah said clinics can be the first stop to getting healthy.  

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“We make sure every patient leaves with a roadmap and they know where they’re going, what they’re doing, and they have the referrals and check,” said Shah.

Shah said clinics like his are saving lives. He said that even though they are seeing more patients and expect to see even more patients; he wants the community to know the clinic is here for them.

“Hospitals are closing their outpatient centers because they can’t afford the care that they’re giving to the uninsured population,” said Shah.

In 2024, Salaam Clinic saw around 700 patients. This year, the number doubled to nearly 1400 patients seen. With rising healthcare costs, Shah said the number will continue to rise, but they are happy to serve the community.

“We expect to see more patients that are underinsured and uninsured, but they cannot afford care,” said Shah.

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Sabir said he’s grateful for Salaam Clinic and he tells everyone he knows about the clinic.

“An opportunity of this service and that really has just gives me a better feeling consciously in my thinking and in my health, and I just feel much, much better about my life,” said Sabir.

To become a patient of Salaam Clinic, first call them at (216) 243-7924. From there, the staff will recommend next steps and provide resources. If you would like to visit the clinic, appointments are preferred, but walk-ins are welcome.

Saleem Clinic in Midtown, at 7401 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44103, is open on Sundays from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Their Solon location at Chagrin Valley Islamic Center at 6909 Liberty Rd. is open every last Friday of the month, 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. They also do pop-up and mobile clinics.

Salaam Clinic has a multilingual staff who speak French, Arabic, Swahili, South Asian languages, Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi.

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Salaam Clinic, along with the other clinics in the network, are nonprofit clinics with paid and volunteer employees.

The clinics accept monetary donations, and for every dollar donated to the Charitable Healthcare Network, it provides $13 worth of healthcare.



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Cleveland, OH

Man shot on Cleveland’s West Side

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Man shot on Cleveland’s West Side


CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A man was shot in Cleveland’s Cudell neighborhood Tuesday night.

Cleveland Police 1st District officers responded to the 10100 block of Madison Ave around 9:00 P.M.

A man approximately 45 years of age was found with a gunshot wound.

EMS took the victim to MetroHealth Hospital. This incident remains under investigation.

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There is no information on any suspects or arrests.

Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.



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Cleveland, OH

Leaders in Washington and Cleveland take aim at affordable housing in Northeast Ohio

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Leaders in Washington and Cleveland take aim at affordable housing in Northeast Ohio


CLEVELAND — Ahead of her Third Annual Housing Expo this Saturday at Tri-C Corporate College East, Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH) rolled out her Safe and Affordable Housing Agenda on Tuesday. It’s a series of four bills aimed at lowering home costs while strengthening lead paint and pipe abatement.

“We wanted to bring something forward that would improve the living conditions, to make things more affordable and more accessible for not only the constituents of Ohio’s 11th Congressional District but those who are experiencing the same challenge across the country,” Brown told News 5.

The Housing Supply Fund Act is legislation that encourages the building of more affordable housing by filling financing gaps that are holding back construction. The legislation would establish a competitive program within the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund to address financing gaps that prevent otherwise viable housing projects from moving forward.

“We want to make sure we do not give up on affordable housing; we want to make sure that it is more accessible,” Brown said.

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There is also the Affordable Housing Preservation and Protection Act, which is legislation to maintain and preserve existing HUD-assisted housing. This legislation establishes a new HUD preservation authority to provide targeted financing and intervention tools for distressed HUD-assisted multifamily properties at risk of deterioration, foreclosure, or loss of affordability.

The bill is designed to help preserve affordable housing, facilitate responsible ownership transitions, and protect existing federal housing investments serving seniors, working families, and vulnerable residents.

The other two bills introduced deal with the issue of lead abatement. The GET THE LEAD OUT Act of 2026 would create a new federal grant program to replace lead pipes, fixtures, and taps. The legislation would create a broad federal framework to address lead in drinking water and housing by funding removal of lead-based pipe and tap hazards, establishing training and certification requirements, directing federal standards and state programs, and integrating lead plumbing remediation into major housing programs. Brown’s legislation creates new authorities and financing mechanisms to drive national action on residential lead plumbing hazards.

The Removing Existing Pipes with Lead and Advancing Clean Environments (or REPLACE) Act improves existing lead paint and lead pipe removal programs within the federal government. This legislation would amend existing HUD and Safe Drinking Water Act authorities to strengthen lead-paint hazard remediation in housing, improve local implementation capacity, and better coordinate paint and pipe removal efforts.

“We know that this has been a longstanding issue in the City of Cleveland,” she said. “What we’re doing is trying to supplement and amplify the opportunities to be able to address these issues that have long-standing impacts in our community.”

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Brown’s announcement comes on the heels of the Bibb administration’s announcement of the creation of the Housing Innovation District, a 1,500-acre swath of land covering St. Clair, Superior and Hough where efforts will begin this summer to repopulate streets that have lost more than half of their homes in recent decades with new housing starting on East 67th south of St. Clair, where ten homes will go up later this year.

A recent New York Times piece cited that among the barriers to building more housing are restrictive zoning and permitting, something the city addresses in this district.

“One of the big things that we’re doing is eliminating permit fees for single-family home construction, which is again a real sort of barrier to this sort of work,” said Tom McNair, Mayor Justin Bibb’s Chief of Integrated Development.

They also established what they call a “Pattern Book,” where they’ve pre-approved designs for certain types of homes in this district to speed up the process.

“When there’s a vacant lot that the city owns, it will be like this is the home you want, this is the lot you want to build on, here’s your permit,” he said.

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Congresswoman Brown sees their efforts helping citizens towards the same goal.

“Our legislation would dovetail perfectly into what the mayor is putting forth as well,” she said. “People are doing all of the right things, they’re working hard, but they’re still having trouble getting ahead, and we want to be able to again address that gap as it relates to the opportunity to build wealth in our community, and this legislation will certainly help put people on a pathway to do that.”

Part of that pathway includes Brown’s Housing Expo for constituents of the 11th Congressional District. “It’s a one-stop shop for everything housing, so whether you are a renter or whether you are a first-time home buyer, whether you are looking to renovate, whether you are a senior that’s aging in place. We wanted to bring every aspect of the housing industry under one umbrella, and so we will do that.”

Constituents can register for the free event here.





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Fire crews battle Cleveland duplex blaze, ammunition heard popping inside

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Fire crews battle Cleveland duplex blaze, ammunition heard popping inside


CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The Cleveland Division of Fire responded to a 2 1/2 story side-by-side duplex fire Monday afternoon.

According to Cleveland Fire, the call came in just after 5 p.m. at 2154 and 2156 W 98th St.

The fire started in a second floor bedroom that spread to the attic.

Due to the size of the house and the volume of the fire, an extra engine and ladder companies were called to assist.

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Cleveland Fire said a total of eight adults and three children were displaced from the fire and the Red Cross was called to assist.

Fire crews battle Cleveland duplex blaze, ammunition heard popping inside(Source: WOIO)

Firearms were inside the structure and firefighters said they could hear ammunition going off as they fought the fire.

The fire also extended to an old tree that caught fire.

Total estimated loss is $120,000, Cleveland Fire said.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation and no injuries were reported.

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Copyright 2026 WOIO. All rights reserved.



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