NONPROFIT
Be In Health Foundation Nonprot addresses health equity in Frisco ISD
GETTING HELP
Be In Health Foundation’s pilot program works with students at two Frisco ISD schools.
1 Parents ll out the sign up form on the Be In Health Foundation website. 2 The medical needs of the student are assessed by the Be In Health Foundation team. 3 A student receives medical attention from a professional partnered with the foundation for no or low cost. MEDICAL SERVICES OFFERED • Dental care • Mental health • Vaccines • Check-ups • Vision
O ver a dozen area organizations distribute food, clothing and other necessities to Frisco res- idents. But many struggling residents cannot get access to primary health care because of the nancial burden. Frisco resident Sadaf Haq founded the Be In Health Foundation in March to address this gap specically for children in Frisco ISD. “Basic health care is crucial in ensur- ing that a child can learn and succeed,” Haq said. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, one in 10 Americans does not have health insurance. While it might seem like a small number of people, Haq said the demand for no-cost and reduced-cost health care in Frisco is more signicant than people realize. “We have some organizations in Dallas that help out, but nothing in the Frisco area, and I think a lot of it is BY GRANT JOHNSON
because people don’t want to accept that we have those inadequacies or gaps exist,” Haq said. The Be In Health Foundation focuses its eorts on providing health care for children in the community. Haq graduated with a master’s degree in public health from The State University of New York at Albany and has worked on public health initiatives with the New York State Department of Health and Humana Inc. Haq used her public health knowledge alongside her board of directors, which features several active and retired city ocials, to launch the pilot program. The program focuses on two Frisco ISD schools. The foundation partners with counseling services at the schools to identify students with health care needs. The Be In Health Foundation uses a network of health professionals to pair the student with the doctor. While Haq considers the pilot program to be successful so far, she noted that
Sadaf Haq founded the Be In Health Foundation in Frisco. (Grant Johnson/ Community Impact Newspaper)
BE IN HEALTH FOUNDATION www.beinhealthfoundation.org
SOURCE: BE IN HEALTH FOUNDATION COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
the program did begin to slow down as the school year concluded. Haq said she hopes the foundation can expand into helping families but wants to make sure the foundation does not overstretch itself. To provide health services, medical professionals become partners of the organization. Haq said she nds “the professionals that have a heart for charity” and partners with them
to oer their services free or at a discounted rate. If there is a nancial burden, the Be In Health Foundation works to take care of that. The foun- dation works with a local pharmacy to get prescriptions at cost. “There’s just so much that people don’t realize,” Haq said. “I think at the heart of it, for me, I just want to help ... those that are underrepresented.”
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FRISCO EDITION • JUNE 2022
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