FLINT, Mich.— Dr. Aisha Harris makes it clear that when connecting and building trust with her patients, she doesn’t want to “check the boxes,” but to truly know who her patients are beyond the surface.
While in New Orleans for an engineering internship, the then 21-year-old, Harris volunteered for an HIV and AIDS transition home where she witnessed direct patient care in action. This experience both inspired her and set her on a new path — to become a doctor.
“It started more out of kind of curiosity for the human body and wanting to be part of a greater good. That’s where I fell in love with the idea of direct patient care,” Harris recalled of that experience. “All of this always stemmed from the idea of helping people and wanting to be part of a solution.”
Harris Family Health, established in 2023, is a monthly membership-based clinic serving Michigan residents, providing direct care services to adults, children, families, and small businesses. These services include preventive care, chronic disease management, mental health support and cancer screenings.
The clinic also has an in-house pharmacy that offers discounts on medications, in addition to lab and blood work services. The core motivation behind every service is “time and trust” with longer appointment times to build doctor-patient relationships, direct connections and no wait times.
A Flint native, Dr. Harris graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine, and is intentional about providing her patients with quality care knew she wanted to return to her hometown to “care for my own people” rather than remain in the Washington D.C. or Chicago area.
“When I was in medical school, I was like, ‘Oh, I’m definitely going back home.’ I felt like I was going to absorb as much information, skills, and knowledge as possible. I did my family medicine training in Chicago at the University of Illinois, and they knew, when I came there, that I was going back home,” Harris said.
As a family medicine doctor, Harris prioritizes prevention and takes both a proactive and responsive approach to patient care. She understands the reluctance many people feel when accessing healthcare, often due to systemic barriers. Committed to bridging that gap, she advocates for quality, affordable, and convenient care while working to strengthen both the trust and health of her patients
Harris consistently earns praise from patients for her patient-centered approach and genuine concern for their well-being. They describe her as “a breath of fresh air and a gem in our community,” “the most compassionate and knowledgeable physician,” and someone who truly “listens to what you’re telling her about your health.”
“I try to create a very genuine and safe space in my clinic so patients feel like they can tell me anything and everything, and that nothing is a silly question. We are in this together,” Harris said. “I have real conversations with people and I enjoy not feeling that tightness of time restraint. If someone feels like they have a lot to talk about then I just expand their appointment and go from there. I like to say that I’m
patient-focused and not appointment-focused.”
The clinic’s presence and mission, Harris said, send a clear message to the city of Flint: “It’s an innovative resource that helps people shine a light on the better health outcomes they deserve. I truly believe Flint can be healthy — we have a lot of resources.”
Harris Family Health is located at 432 N. Saginaw Street, Suite 401, in Flint. The clinic is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 810-214-0075 or visit harrisfamilyhealth.com.