HealthFinders Announces New Co-Medical Director, Dr. Sakina Sachak, MD

HealthFinders Announces New Co-Medical Director HealthFinders Collaborative welcomes Dr. Sakina Sachak, MD to a new role as co-medical director. At HealthFinders, we are fortunate to have a wide variety of community volunteers who fully stand behind our mission. Our broad volunteer base brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that helps us connect with patients from all backgrounds and make all patients feel welcome and cared for at HealthFinders clinics. One committed volunteer who has fully embodied our mission since 2017 is Dr. Sakina Sachak, who was recently announced as the organization’s new co-medical director. Dr. Sachak is a family physician at the Allina Health Faribault Clinic with a specialty in women’s health. In her volunteer work at HealthFinders, she has often assisted with the organization’s primary care clinics. She grew up in Canada and got connected with HealthFinders after moving to Faribault and searching for ways to get involved in the community. She was drawn to the fact that HealthFinders offers care to patients who don’t have health insurance or are otherwise marginalized. To her patients at HealthFinders, Dr. Sachak offers guidance and reassurance that they deserve to get the care they need, and that they don’t necessarily have to pay a lot for health care. Regarding her experience working with HealthFinders, Dr. Sachak says, “HealthFinders truly does an exceptional job living out their mission of serving marginalized families in Rice County. They are sincerely committed to providing the best and most equitable care possible.” Having served the community of HealthFinders patients herself, she knows how much patients value HealthFinders. “Sometimes, if I’m late to a patient appointment because I’m helping another patient, they don’t even mind – they are always happy to see others getting the care they deserve and tell me to take my time when I apologize about the delay. You really don’t see that anywhere else!” says Dr. Sachak. She feels the staff members at HealthFinders truly show how much they care about their patients, and even treat them like family.

Serving the Local Community and Beyond Dr. Sachak is involved in an array of other organizations beyond HealthFinders. She is the medical chair for District One Hospital in Faribault, is involved in a women’s health group that advocates for education empowerment, is a member of the Rice County Health Summit, serves as an Attending Physician – teaching students who are completing their clinical rotations through the University of Minnesota and St. Catherine University, and is a provider on the DOH Infectious Disease Committee, which has been particularly active in the last year. While in Canada, she founded a group called MedSpecs, which she has continued here – offering guidance and resources to students interested in pursuing a medical career. She has also remained involved in a Canadian organization called The Abhilasha Project, which helps build schools designed to help enable careers for disabled students. She often visits Haiti to contribute volunteer work for a World Health Organization NGO she is involved in, called Midwives for Haiti. Dr. Sachak was nominated by Dr. Wagner to replace him in the position of co-medical director at HealthFinders, and we look forward to having her fill this important leadership role alongside Dr. Brian Wariboko, our other co-medical director. Thanks, Dr. Sachak, for continuing to serve HealthFinders in this new role!