In October 2017, Novant Health announced a $7 million gift from basketball star Michael Jordan to open two health clinics for families in the city. Later, Novant Health reported that the two clinics had given patients more than 9,000 visits in 2023 alone. In Charlotte, North Carolina, regular care was a real challenge for many people. The clinics were intended to serve some of the city’s most at-risk communities.
Because it cost too much or took too long to arrange, many of us have probably skipped a doctor visit.
The plan was to build a medical home rather than a place for quick visits. Under the plan, the clinics would provide regular and preventive care. The idea was that a family would be able to handle most of their needs in one place. They would also provide mental health services, physical therapy, social work, dentistry, and family planning. Years later, Novant Health gave an update. That number came from the company itself. The release did not explain how the visits were counted or what happened to the patients afterward.
In a May 2024 release, Ann Caulkins, president of the Novant Health foundations, said the Charlotte clinics provided more than 9,000 visits to patients in 2023.
Many Charlotte patients, it noted, had never had a regular doctor before they walked in. Those are the company’s own reports, so they show how Novant Health describes patient experiences, not an independent assessment. They do not show a change in the entire city. The Charlotte model didn’t end there. Novant Health and Jordan teamed up again to open a third clinic overall, this time in his hometown of Wilmington. Work was under way at the second Wilmington clinic site. The study found that communities with more primary care doctors had longer lives and lower death rates from heart disease, cancer, and respiratory disease. That’s a link, not evidence that any one clinic changes life spans. But the clinics in Charlotte show how a donation can open the door to everyday care for people who had little access to it.
But the more than 9,000 visits in one year showed that people were using the clinics. A $10 million gift from Jordan to the Novant Health foundations made it possible to add two clinics there. The first clinic was located on Greenfield Street, with 12 patient rooms and a community health worker to help patients connect with local resources. The release also referenced a 10-year U.S. study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Patients also praised the care teams for helping them regain their health and feel hopeful, according to the release.
