We are committed to support the Maliheh Free Clinic through the resources of the chamber and Utah's labor organizations, and we encourage broad community support. We appreciate the backing of Sen. Orrin Hatch, who has spent time at the clinic and who will be holding congressional hearings on the health insurance crisis.

Long term, the clinic will need more volunteers and more equipment, furniture and other supplies. When the clinic becomes self-sufficient through community support, the Semnani Foundation is planning to use its resources to start similar clinics in other parts of the state.

The mission of the clinic is to relieve suffering and improve the quality of life of Utahns who need help. Untreated medical conditions can worsen to become life-threatening, and individuals end up in hospital emergency rooms, where treatment is very costly, driving up overall health care costs in our society. Treating illnesses also prevents the spreading of sickness in schools, the workplace and the community.

Nationally, more than 43 million U.S. residents, nearly one in six Americans under the age of 65, lack health coverage. The Institute of Medicine at the National Academies estimates that lack of health insurance results in roughly 18,000 unnecessary deaths every year. Uninsured Americans tend to be sicker and to die sooner than those with health insurance. Lack of regular care results in more expensive care later and disruptions in learning and development.

When business and labor unite to support something, you know it's a great cause. So it is with the Maliheh Free Clinic. In Arabic, Maliheh means "comfort and beauty." We are confident that this haven for the medically needy will live up to its name, and we congratulate the visionary Utah leaders and philanthropists who have made it possible.

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Lane Beattie is the president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce. Ed Mayne is a state senator and Utah AFL-CIO president.