Novant Health increases access to COVID-19 care in communities in need

CHARLOTTE, N.C., April 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Beginning April 15, the Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic will transition temporarily into a COVID-19 respiratory assessment center and two mobile health units will begin offering COVID-19 screenings in East and West Charlotte. Together, these services will provide COVID-19 education, assessment and testing to Charlotte's most at-risk communities.  

"What was true before COVID-19 is true now: we have real health equity gaps in our communities. While Novant Health has long been working to close these gaps, this pandemic is only exacerbating them," said Dr. Jerome Williams, Jr, senior vice president of consumer engagement for Novant Health. "Today, we're transitioning the access points we've brought to our minority communities into COVID-19 screening and testing sites to ensure that anyone who needs care is able to get it. Novant Health is engaged with our community partners and we hear how they're being disproportionately impacted. We're taking action to respond."

The respiratory assessment center at the Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic is designed to test and treat patients who are experiencing moderate to severe respiratory symptoms associated with the coronavirus. This can include shortness of breath, difficulty breathing and chest discomfort. Patients visiting the respiratory assessment center should obtain a referral from a clinician. Individuals without a primary care doctor can call the Novant Health 24/7 coronavirus helpline at 1-877-9NOVANT for information on how to access further evaluation and care.

The mobile screening center units are available to individuals experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. The units will offer education, screening and testing should a provider determine it's necessary.  The mobile units are operational Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for walk-up and drive-up services at:

• 2845 Beatties Ford Rd, Charlotte, NC 28216 next to the Mecklenburg County Public Health Office
• 5501 Executive Center Drive, Charlotte, NC 28212 on the corner of Albemarle Road

Patients in need of routine care – not COVID-19 related - can be seen at the Movement Family Wellness Center powered by Novant Health located at 2225 Freedom Drive.

In addition to these new sites, Novant Health is working with community partners to ensure everyone has information they need to stay safe and healthy, including partnering with two recording artists Doug E. Fresh and Anthony Hamilton to amplify key messages and providing resources to the Hispanic/Latino community, including a Spanish-language helpline and an online coronavirus assessment tool.

Novant Health is also working to ensure its team members, frontline workers and communities have access to vital resources like food, housing and other support – all of which have a direct impact on one's overall health and wellness during this time of uncertainty. Some efforts include:

• Contributing an additional $10 million to the Novant Health Disaster Relief Fund to provide financial assistance to team members who need it most during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Partnering with community organizations to offer free and subsidized alternate child care to team members
• Redeploying team members to new roles so they can maintain their current hours
• Offering low-interest loans in partnership with M&F Bank to Novant Health-certified and minority-owned suppliers who are facing challenges caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
• Our community health workers program continues to collaborate via phone with a variety of community partners across the system to connect patients to important health and social resources
• Novant Health has a MyCommunity tool online (novanthealth.org/mycommunity) to help people search for free or reduced cost services like medical care, food, job training, and more

For more information on COVID-19, please visit NovantHealth.org/coronavirus.

About Novant Health
Novant Health is an integrated network of physician clinics, outpatient facilities and hospitals that delivers a seamless and convenient healthcare experience to communities in Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. The Novant Health network consists of more than 1,600 physicians and over 29,000 employees that provide care at nearly 700 locations, including 15 hospitals and hundreds of outpatient facilities and physician clinics. In 2020, Novant Health was the only healthcare system in North Carolina to be included on Forbes' Best Employers for Diversity list. Diversity MBA Magazine has also ranked Novant Health third on its 2019 list of "Best Places for Women & Diverse Managers to Work." Novant Health provided more than $993.2 million in community benefit, including financial assistance and services, in 2019.

For more information, please visit our website at NovantHealth.org. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

SOURCE Novant Health

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