The Compassionate Care Network (CCN) was started in January 2004 to promote positive health attitudes, encouraging  prevention and providing  access to affordable healthcare for the uninsured within the outpatient setting. For some time before that, a small group of Muslim physicians  had been providing free monthly health screenings at Chicago’s Muslim Community Center, in an effort to identify individuals at risk of diabetes, hypertension and coronary artery disease, before they encountered a catastrophic health incident  from these conditions.

    Screenings were also conducted for obesity, cataract, glaucoma, dental health and prostate cancer. Approximately 30-40 people were usually screened each month. Initially these screenings were offered monthly at just MCC, but with time they became weekly and were offered at several  Islamic Centers, area churches and community centers.. Along with the screenings, free health information  was provided to  the public 

    As physicians identified  more and more individuals with undetected illnesses the need  for follow up care became apparent. While federally qualified clinics were one solution, the demand for services was so great that patients reported waits of six or more weeks to get an appointment. Therefore the physicians took it upon themselves to develop an additional solution. The result was the creation of CCN, a network of a dozen Muslim  physicians to begin with which has now grown to over 100 physicians which includes primary care physicians and specialists in addition to dentists, optometrists, physical therapists, chiropractors and podiatrists in the Chicagoland area..  Along the way they recruited 5 medical labs, and 10 imaging centers  to join their network. Ninety nine percent  of the physicians are still Muslim but the Network is now actively seeking to add physicians from other faith communities, particularly within the Hispanic and Arabic communities.

There are five  levels of care in CCN :
(1) free health education,
(2) free health screenings,
(3) access to affordable physician services,
(4) access to affordable lab an imaging services,
(5) access to affordable prescription drugs.

    Patients  pay a flat fee of $25.00 for office visits and may choose their physician based on language and location preference.  There is a small enrollment fee of $10.00 per month for individuals and $15.00 per  month for families which is readily waived for those unable to pay. Periodic open enrollments are offered when people can join for free for periods of 3-6 months. Enrollment is open to everyone regardless of race or religion, immigration status or the presence of pre existing conditions. An ID card is issued at the time of enrollment.  Most of the work of screenings is done by volunteer physicians who are assisted by area medical students. Fellows of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship program have also joined the CCN team to provide free health screenings and health education.

    “We believe” says Dr. Azher Quader, the founder and Executive Director of CCN, “ that affordable health care should be a basic right of every individual in a civil society.  In a country which prides itself in the delivery of world class medical care, the plight of 47 million who are uninsured and have little or no access to affordable health care is an unacceptable paradox that needs to be corrected.” He added “We believe also that till such time that acceptable solutions become available for these millions who are uninsured, the members of different faith traditions can pool their resources to provide options for care that are both compassionate and affordable.”

    To join CCN please call 773 775-3600 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or go to www.ccnchicago.com