May 16, 2025

Interfaith, Health Care Leaders Tour Community Health Center

More than 30 interfaith and health care leaders from Metro Detroit toured Zaman’s Community Health Center, which opened last June, as part of a faith leaders luncheon focused on advancing maternal and infant health. 

“This work is not only about providing health services, it is about honoring the sacredness of life and family values cherished across all faiths,” said Maya Mortada, MSN, RN, CPNP-PC, Zaman’s Director of Health Services who oversees the clinic. “It is about ensuring that women, especially those who are underserved, overlooked, or facing systemic barriers, receive the care, dignity, and support that they deserve.”

The luncheon, designed to identify further areas for collaboration between interfaith groups, was held in conjunction with a maternal health care resource event open to the community on May 6. 

“This room represents a powerful network of spiritual, medical, academic, and civic leadership,” said Mortada. “Faith communities have long been anchors of support and advocacy, and we believe that when we join together for a shared purpose, we can build stronger systems, more compassionate care, and more just communities.”

Greg Geiger, President of the InterFaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit, a long time Zaman partner, told attendees the event provided the chance to meet new people who have skills and knowledge to help those in need “know where to go when they need help.”

“We have brought together the threads of a fabric that has not yet been woven – people sitting next to you at the table who have skills and resources,” said Geiger, an ordained Bishop in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “We are going to put energy and design to pull these threads together so the Inkster community has fabric it hasn’t had. These threads will be woven into something strong.”

For guest speaker Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, Chief Medical Executive for the State of Michigan, the visit to Zaman provided hope against the backdrop of divisive times where distrust of science and medical professionals is creating greater public health challenges.

“One of the most important things to me about hope and the work that you're doing here is this idea of supporting women as leaders and the glue of every family,” said Bagdasarian. “When you see a woman who is thriving and surviving and flourishing, you know those kids are going to be doing well, and the whole family will be taken care of.”

Hope in all its forms remains at the core of Zaman’s mission dating back to its founding nearly 30 years ago.

“We had a vision that with people who live in poverty, you need to be ready when they are brave enough to walk through the door, and you need to be ready with a dose of hope,” Zaman founder and CEO Najah Bazzy told attendees. “Because if you could shed some light on the darkness, the human spirit would take over because we are all born with hope, and Zaman is a place of restoring hope.”

The event was held in partnership with the InterFaith Leadership Council of Metropolitan Detroit, Southeast Michigan Perinatal Quality Improvement Coalition (SEMPQIC), Detroit Medical Center, Wayne State University, and the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services.