BURLINGTON'S OLDER ADULTS CAN NOW ENJOY TRANSFORMATIVE CARE THAT BRINGS BETTER HEALTH

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Oct 04, 2023, 14:02 ET

Dedicated Senior Medical Center's value-based care model offers high-touch, personalized care to seniors, including residents in rural areas of the Triad

BURLINGTON, N.C., Oct. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ChenMed, a leading provider of personalized, concierge-style, primary care for older adults, with more than 130 centers across 15 states, is now welcoming patients to its first Dedicated Senior Medical Center in the Triad City of Burlington. The new medical practice, the fifth to open in North Carolina, is intentionally located in the long-underserved rural area of East Burlington (378 Harden Street), where thousands of older residents stand to benefit from transformative care and outstanding access offered by compassionate primary care doctors.

Meera Kelley, M.D., regional chief medical officer (pictured, far right), speaks with patients at Dedicated Senior Medical Center.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce, in partnership with the city of Burlington, awarded ChenMed a Rural Building Reuse and Infrastructure Grant to help expedite a Dedicated Senior Medical Center opening in one of Burlington's most underserved communities.

Burlington Mayor and Mrs. James B. Butler, along with the city's Economic Development Director Peter Bishop, will join more than 100 attendees, including dignitaries, community partners and local seniors, at Thursday's Grand Opening ribbon-cutting event.

"The city of Burlington is grateful to have Dedicated Senior Medical Center bring its value-based health care model to B-Town, offering hope, better health and happier outcomes to the Triad's older adults," said Mayor James B. Butler, city of Burlington. "I know Dedicated's VIP primary care will allow thousands of our seniors to get the love and medical attention they deserve, while this new medical facility also will inject an economic boost to the surrounding neighborhood."

Dedicated Senior Medical Centers are known for providing superior, coordinated care focused on seniors with Medicare Advantage, many of whom have multiple chronic conditions. Thousands of local seniors are expected to join several hundred older adults already benefitting from the love, compassion and access Dedicated primary care providers are delivering at the new center located in Burlington, along with its surrounding communities.

Dedicated places centers in communities where a lack of access to high-quality primary care and other social determinants of health have negatively impacted the longevity of our older adults for many years. These barriers have shortened average life spans in the area by as much as 20 years when compared to individuals living in nearby, more affluent communities. The innovative medical practice is working to address what Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. heralded more than 50 years ago: "Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and the most inhumane."

"Every senior deserves compassionate, affordable care," says Meera Kelley, M.D., regional chief medical officer for Dedicated Southeast. "Fully focused on preventive care, Dedicated earns our patients' trust by delivering VIP service during every visit or call. They also encourage walk-in and same-day appointments for patients in need to transform health in ways proven to reduce unnecessary emergency room visits and hospitalizations by 33 percent."

An April 2022 survey (N=152) of residents living in the central portion of the Carolinas, found that many people ages 65 or older and responsible for their healthcare decisions welcome the kind of care offered by Dedicated centers because:

25% of respondents stated, "I do not trust my current doctor," while 38% of respondents also said, "Their current doctors do not coordinate my care with my specialist(s) or other doctors."
13% confirmed, "It is too difficult to get an appointment when I need one."

According to the study, the most enticing features of Dedicated, in priority order, are walk-in and same-day appointments; frequent visits; doctors who treat you like family; onsite testing and screenings; onsite medication services; coordination and communication with all providers; and telehealth.

"Our doctors and care teams are focused on helping vulnerable seniors stay healthy and happy," explained Lakeshia Entzminger, M.D., primary care provider at Dedicated East Burlington. "We deliver affordable VIP care that includes patients having their primary care doctor's cell phone number and being able to see their care team same-day, either by telehealth or in-person."

Local seniors who are interested in switching their primary care doctor to a Dedicated primary care provider are welcome to meet Dedicated's care team and take a tour of the center, either by simply dropping by during business hours or by calling to make an appointment for a tour at (336) 698-3500. Seniors can also visit the website to learn more at www.Dedicated.care.

About Dedicated Senior Medical Center:
ChenMed, the parent company of Dedicated Senior Medical Center, is a privately owned medical, management and technology company that delivers the high-touch and personalized primary care Medicare-eligible seniors need to enjoy better health. As part of the ChenMed family of brands, Dedicated Senior Medical Center embraces the proven ChenMed approach to value-based primary care for the neediest populations. A provider of choice for some 20 Medicare Advantage health insurance plans, ChenMed is one of Fortune Magazine's 2020 "Change the World" companies "taking on society's unsolved problems - and boosting their business as a result." ChenMed's family of brands includes Chen Senior Medical Center, Dedicated Senior Medical Center, JenCare Senior Medical Center, IntuneHealth^®, and Curity™.

SOURCE ChenMed