Dr. Saima Khan, a pediatrician at the Northeast Valley Health Corporation (NEVHC) Santa Clarita Health Center, was shocked to discover the large, underserved community in California’s Imperial Valley when she began working at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in 2006. As a German immigrant, her perception of California was that of abundance, but she quickly realized that underserved communities – who she believes deserve care and compassion – exist in all places. In Imperial Valley, she served a large migrant Latino population who lacked health care access. In 2022, she moved to Santa Clarita, a suburb of Los Angeles, where she worked at NEVHC. Her supervisor and Pediatric Medical Director, Dr. Gina Johnson, a former Champion Fellow, recognized her passion to help these communities and encouraged her to apply for the Fellowship. Dr. Khan welcomed the opportunity to expand ways to address her patient’s care needs and promptly applied for the Champion Provider Fellowship. 

“I worked with Drs. Gina Johnson and Lena Al-Sarraf to expand on their food and nutrition insecurity projects. While there is still more work to be done, they’ve passed the torch and I am honored to be part of the solution.”

Dr. Saima Khan, Los Angeles, Pediatrician

“I feel like I’m standing on the shoulders of giants who built the foundation before me. This collaboration could not have happened without the Champion Provider Fellowship.”

Dr. Saima Khan, Los Angeles, Pediatrician

As a Fellow, she connected with other medical providers and dentists in the program and worked closely with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (LADPH), which guided and supported her efforts to pursue policy, systems, and environmental change as part of the CalFresh Healthy Living program.

Under Dr. Johnson’s leadership, NEVHC implemented a two-item screening tool to identify patients living in households experiencing food and nutrition insecurity. The establishment of the screening process helped to identify needs and expand resources that were made available to patients, including prescription benefits for eligible patients to buy fresh fruits and vegetables at large chain grocery stores. At her first Champion Provider Fellows meeting, Dr. Khan met Dr. Lena AlSarraf, a Champion Provider Fellowship alum, who told her about a Los Angeles Regional Food Bank project she had hoped to implement during her own Fellowship. This sparked the idea of a mobile food pantry. With help and support from NEVHC, the LADPH and past Fellows, Dr. Khan endeavored to expand food access and helped establish a mobile food pantry in July 2024 at the Sun Valley Clinic in San Fernando Valley. On opening day, more than 300 families – both patients and community members – attended the event to receive non-perishable foods such as beans, rice, and canned vegetables, as well as fresh fruits and vegetables from the Los Angeles (LA) Food Bank. Held monthly on the first Friday of every month, the mobile pantry distributes food and showcases food demonstrations. In the future, Dr. Khan hopes to have food staples available at all clinic sites that are in partnership with the LA Food Bank.