Salaam Cleveland – Salaam

Mass Vaccinations Begin in Ohio

salaamcleveland@admin — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 13:51:37 +0000

We have collectively been waiting a very long time for vaccinations to begin at this level,

Here in Cleveland, the mass vaccination site is at the Wolstein Center at CSU. At the time of writing this (3/18/2021), Ohio is currently accepting those in groups 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B; and on this Friday (3/19/2021), eligibility will include those over the age of 40, and those over the age of 16 if you have chronic conditions.

By the end of March, vaccine eligibility will be for all people over the age of 16.

For children, studies are currently being conducted to ensure their safety and also to confirm an immune response. Once the FDA approves these vaccines in children, vaccination of them won’t be far behind.

This is great news. At best it means the end of the widespread pandemic, and at the least, it gives us breathing room and a chance for some sense of normalcy. And though the road is still long, we can see our destination. Families can begin to see one another again without fear or guilt, businesses can strengthen, and couples can go out once again. But with this hopeful future, we still need to remain vigilant and safe today.

Although fully vaccinated individuals can meet together without masks, when in public or around unvaccinated individuals, or you are unsure, the same mask and distance precautions apply.

Ohio’s Goals:

Governor DeWine stated very clearly that health orders may be lifted once we reach below the level of 50 new cases per 100,000 people. Right now Ohio is around 100-200 new cases per 100,000. We are trending downwards and in the right direction, and now is not the time to let off the steam. We need to carry forward full strength ahead without letting up, and God willing, this can be behind us by summertime.

To sign up for the vaccine, or to read more about it and FAQ’s please visit gettheshot.coronavirus.ohio.gov

Putting your phone down and taking a break

salaamcleveland@admin — Fri, 06 Nov 2020 14:01:40 +0000

When data overload can lead to increased anxiety and decreased attention spans.

Coronavirus. Politics and elections. Masks. Social Media. Holidays filled with joy and social distancing…and short attention spans with an overload of data.

On average American adults spend more time looking at a screen than they spend sleeping. And naturally, children spend even more time in front of screens than adults. And studies show that the trend is not slowing down any time soon.

And though cell phones, computers, pads, and TVs are not bad in and of themselves, we do find overuse and too much screen time associated with lower well-being, especially in regards to anxiety and attention spans.

This week, start to give yourself a break from your devices.
Below are a few tips to help you get started.

Maintain a schedule – Give yourself an allotted amount of screen time through the day for various apps you may have.
Turn off phone notifications from apps you don’t necessarily need. A benefit to this is increased productivity and better workflow free from distractions if you must use your devices for work.
Don’t use your devices in bed and charge them away from your bedroom.
Hold yourself accountable – jot down how many times you check your phone or other devices without cause. Over time, make this number trend downward
Find replacement activities. As mentioned in previous blogs, find replacement activities and hobbies as opposed to the television or phones, ones that require attention over a prolonged period of time on a single task; this includes reading a book, landscaping, painting, puzzles, board games, DIY home improvement projects, and many more.

Wishing you the best of health.

5 Simple Steps To Stay Healthy While Working From Home

salaamcleveland@admin — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 12:50:43 +0000

For most of us, the change in lifestyle brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t exactly been the most healthy of changes.

A lot of the errands we would traditionally do on foot and by car have been reduced to sitting in one place using a phone or computer. Our food can be delivered by a few clicks & swipes, and with a little more typing & clicking, we can write our business emails or join our conference calls, all from the comfort of a couch or a bed, and pajamas we haven’t changed out of in a week (well, hopefully not a full week).

If not all, then most of the gyms were closed in lockdowns and when they reopened, we (most of us) are still hesitant to work out at them. For the few of us who have exceptional motivation, we decided to run outside, and lift heavy items inside…for the rest of us, we decided to once again sit on the couch and scroll through our phones or tv screens to find a new binge-worthy tv show.

For the sake of our health, we need “simple” more than ever. And though simple is hardly ever truly simple, here are five “simple” tips to help you and your family stay healthy through this time of uncertainty.

Create a structure by restructuring your space

This means don’t work, eat, and sleep all in one place (your bed or couch)…Instead keep a designated space within your home for work, a space to eat, a space to exercise, a space to unwind, and a space to sleep.

Limit technology and use it to your advantage

Limit the time you spend on social media apps and news. Give yourself 15 minutes to half an hour to catch up on the news, then stop. Same with social media.
Learn a new hobby, trade, or skill by using popular video apps like youtube.

Do more exercise

You don’t necessarily need equipment to stay in shape. Even 15-20 minutes of an at-home cardio workout can do wonders for one’s health. (If you don’t have a starting point, youtube can save you once again)

Learn new recipes

It is easy to order food with all the takeout and delivery options now available to us. Meals at home are usually healthier than meals from outside, and with internet access, you have access to thousands upon thousands of healthy and fresh recipes. I suggest trying recipes from around the world, be confident with it, there is no need to be humble inside your own home. Try something you know is out of what you think is your ability and see what happens! Even if you mess up, the next time you will get better.

Take time off to relax, and enjoy the small things, mindfully.

Relaxation rejuvenates one’s self and decreases one’s anxiety. But relaxation does not mean sit down and use your phone mindlessly for an hour. Try making it a habit to do a relaxing thing and make an event out of it. For example, this may mean making a cup of tea and some snacks and sitting by a window. Or read a book…or paint…or do anything that you enjoy doing that does not involve a phone or the tv. (If you want to get crazy with it, try drinking a cup of tea and reading a book).

Syed Shoaib Z Shah MD
Chief Executive Officer, Salaam Clinic

An Issue That Is Hidden

salaamcleveland@admin — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 13:07:47 +0000

It’s an exciting time at Salaam Cleveland. With the successful launch of the free clinic last year Salaam Cleveland is embarking on a new enterprise – the start of a domestic violence program. Ending domestic violence is a goal towards building healthy families and creating peaceful communities and which fulfills the organization’s overall mission of promoting understanding and harmony between people. The new domestic violence program will also revive and formalize a long standing commitment by the original group of women who founded the organization to help those in need.

Violence inside the home is something private and hidden. Immigrant and refugee women often suffer from various kinds of abuse in their lives and have nowhere to turn to. Salaam Cleveland hopes to change that by offering services to support women when they are most vulnerable.

A UNODC (United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime) report called home “the most dangerous place for women”. And despite growing awareness that men, too, can be victims of domestic violence, the overwhelming majority of victims – about 85% – are still, today, women and girls.

Salaam’s vision is to provide culturally specific support services and intervention methods and address the immediate needs of women facing abuse. Salaam Cleveland decided to visit the existing network of shelters and programs in the North East Ohio region to learn about the resources available in the area and with the goal of forging connections and building partnerships. It is important to understand that in order to help victims there needs to be a coordinated community response that involves health care, law enforcement, legal and judicial systems along with more personalized services such as counselling, economic empowerment as well as more targeted needs of immigrant women such as translation and interpretation services, immigration attorneys and the like.

On a cold snowy February morning representatives from the organization visited the Hope and Healing Battered Women’s Shelter of Summit and Medina County. The Assistant Director of the shelter, Nathan Chambers gave us a tour of the well maintained facility while we peppered him with questions. Hope and Healing operates a 154 bed shelter in Akron along with a 60 bed residential house as well as transitional housing units. While their clients are predominantly women, they also have a separate wing for men. There are no barriers to the length of stay which can be as little as 2 days to as much as several months. The average duration is 90 days. The shelter provides holistic services such as job readiness training and development, legal advocacy, educational support services, family and individual counselling and youth advocacy.

An astounding fact that Mr. Chambers mentioned was that in the past two years, the number of immigrant clients has spiked from 2% to 7%. They are predominantly women from South Asia and the Middle East. We discussed the barriers women from these communities face in mainstream shelters. Hope and Healing has taken a number of steps to educate themselves, train its staff and expand it services which now incorporates immigration support services and translation and interpretation services to better serve a diverse community.

In other news, Salaam’s work with its refugee program continues in the background. The program supports a weekend school for the Somali Bantu community by supplementing the rent for a basement facility. The school serves between 40 to 80 children and is an important hub for the community’s social, educational and cultural needs.

On going needs of refugees are also met by the program. Recently, a person was helped in obtaining a driver’s license and contribution towards buying a car was made for another. While these are small measures they are important steps to place people on the path to self-sufficiency.