Metro Community Health Center is an integrated medical, mental health, and dental clinic, located in Swissvale, in the Edgewood Towne Center plaza. We serve the greater Pittsburgh area and all people who come to us. At Metro, our providers collaborate with each other to treat every aspect of a patient’s health, all under one roof. We offer all of our services to everyone, regardless of identity, income, insurance status, or the ability to pay.
HOURS
Monday, Thursday, and Friday 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM Tuesday and Wednesday 8:30 AM - 7:30 PM
PHOTO: MATT DAYAK, COURTESY OF MAITRI MEDICINALS
Jimil Wilson, Chief Financial Officer of Maitri Medicinals
Call to schedule an appointment: (412) 247-2310
.BLACK-LED COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT.
DIVERSIFYING THE MARKET Maitri Medicinals CFO aims to dispel the myths and
1789 S. Braddock Ave, Suite 410 Pittsburgh, PA 15218 Metro complies with the highest COVID-19 safety standards, as outlined by the CDC, in everything that we do.
“Whole People, All People.”
metrocommunityhealthcenter.org
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PGHCITYPAPER.COM
misconceptions about the medical marijuana industry BY DANI JANAE // DANIJANAE@PGHCITYPAPER.COM
B
EING A BLACK PERSON at the helm
of a marijuana-based business is important to Jimil Wilson. It’s “critical to the health of the industry,” as he describes it. He explains data shows that, while Black and white people consume cannabis at just about the same rate, Black communities are policed at a higher rate and are disproportionately represented in marijuana-related arrests. People with marijuana convictions, under Pennsylvania state regulations, can’t work in the industry. Wilson is the Chief Financial Officer of Maitri Medicinals, one of four medical marijuana dispensaries that qualified patients can shop from in the city of Pittsburgh, with a location in East Liberty and one in Uniontown,
in Fayette County. “One of the things that we really are looking to do is we’ve had many or several candidates come through that we wanted to hire that were diverse, that we couldn’t because they had a record around cannabis or drugs,” Wilson says. “So one of the things that we’re looking to do is to really work with these candidates who’ve come to us, but with others as well, to really help them navigate the justice system to get their records expunged.” These efforts are only a part of Maitri’s vision, but getting records expunged is a big help for people in the communities they serve. As an executive at Maitri, Wilson believes that a diverse staff, whether that’s
in regard to race, gender, or thought, is a big move toward serving their communities better. Maitri touts itself as a collection of “third generation Southwestern Pennsylvania residents who are deeply invested in the region’s well-being and development.” Maitri has a firm focus on wellness, and provides their patients with a wide variety of products. Wilson was in banking before he left in 2015 and began to pursue a career in cannabis. He met Maitri founders Corinne Ogrodnik and Joe Vesely later in 2016 at one of their investment pitches. At the time, Wilson had been working as a consultant for small businesses looking to grow and providing them with financial resources. Wilson says Ogrodnik