CHARLOTTE – On Monday, Aug. 22, Atrium Health dispatched the first of four mobile medicine units designed to provide high-quality, equitable healthcare in underprivileged communities in the region.
The unit was made possible by a generous $1.2 million gift from The Tepper Foundation.
The monetary gift from The Tepper Foundation will advance Atrium Health's efforts to address the underlying needs of patients by extending social service resources to individuals through community health workers, referral navigators, and the Atrium Health Community Resource Hub.
The Tepper Foundation continues to be a champion for many of the region's greatest needs.
"This innovative care model supports Atrium Health's efforts to offer patients convenient access to care where they live, work, and play," said David Tepper, owner of the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC. "Our organizations share the same passion for empowering people in high-risk communities to improve and achieve their best health."
The vehicle, dispatched from the Mobile Medicine headquarters on Beam Road, will head to Anson County for its first day of patient visits. The vehicle will serve South Mecklenburg, Anson and Union Counties around the greater Charlotte region.
The mobile units will each have a three-person staff comprised of a Family Nurse Practitioner, Driver/Registrar, and a Certified Medical Assistant. Collectively, the units are expected to serve over 480 patients by the end of the year.
The unit funded will provide primary care/screenings in the South Market. Other community funders are supporting two additional primary care mobile units for the West and North Market, as well as a women's care unit – for a total of four mobile units to hit the road by year's end.
