Why Are We Called Sojourners?
Grand Avenue Temple was highly instrumental in helping us open the clinic. Not only did they open their doors to us, but they also helped us to establish a trust with the population to which we were trying to reach. When the clinic was first established, over 300 lunches were served to the homeless and hungry each weekend at the Grand Avenue Temple. In addition, the staff there, including Reverend Ron Brooks, addressed the spiritual and material needs of the downtown community for a number of years. Rev. Ron would call his congregation the Sojourners, and the Grand Avenue staff would refer to the homeless individuals who sought assistance at Grand Avenue Temple as “Sojourners,” and so we incorporated this into our clinic title. Hence, the Sojourner Clinic was born.
The old logo is a variation of the skull and cross-bones symbol that is used by the homeless to indicate to others where a physician can be found.
Over time, we have sought to always improve ourselves while maintaining a high standard of care for our patients. This has led us to revamp and upgrade our image to the existing logo in order to reflect our services in a modern world.
Mobile/Disaster Clinic
After Hurricane Katrina when the evacuees came north to Kansas City, many had left without their medications. Due to our mobility, the American Red Cross contacted our clinic and asked Sojourner to set up at the Red Cross center and provide a chronic disease clinic with medication assistance for those patients forced to leave without their medications. This led to our recognition as a fully operational mobile disaster clinic. Every Saturday, we set up our clinic in the Ellis Room of the Grand Avenue Temple United Methodist Church and this is a testament to our mobility. Prior to 11 AM, we construct the clinic rooms with PVC pipes and curtains–these along with our patient beds, laboratory, dispensary, and PAP stations allow us to treat our patients all in one room. After hours, we deconstruct our entire clinic in order to allow the church to continue with its normal operations.
Top Diagnoses: 1. Musculoskeletal | 2. Hypertension | 3. Asthma/COPD | 4. Dermatological Conditions/Infectious Disease | 5. Diabetes, Psychiatric Disorders
New Programs
Patient Assistance Program:
Our Patient Assistance Program (PAP) helps patients receive vital inhalers at no cost through the Boehringer Ingelheim Cares Foundation. We assist patients by registering them on the platform and ensuring their provider at Sojourner is also registered. We work with inhalers like Atrovent, Combivent, Spiriva, Stiolto, and more. Once approved, inhalers are shipped to University Health, and we deliver them directly to our patients at their next clinic visit. Our volunteers ensure smooth coordination, paperwork, and timely distribution. Contact our PAP Directors Fatima Iqbal (fimdb@umsystem.edu) and Zahra Khan (zkn6n@umkc.edu) for more information!
Food Pantry:
The food pantry at Linwood United Church provides free groceries and essential household items to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity in the Kansas City community. By offering reliable access to nutritious food and basic necessities, the pantry helps address food insecurity and supports the overall health and well-being of community members.