Basketball superstar Michael Jordan is opening and funding two medical clinics in his hometown, Charlotte, North Carolina. The facilities will offer healthcare to underprivileged members of the community.
The six-time NBA champion, as well as owner of the Charlotte Hornets, gave a powerful speech unveiling the Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Clinic, the first of two planned clinics, to which he committed $7 million along with a pledge to serve those with limited or non-existent resources.
Thanks to a generous $7 million donation from @NBA legend Michael Jordan low-income Charlotte residents of all ages now have access to get the affordable medical care they need, with or without insurance. pic.twitter.com/dpJHVwCpmU
— Novant Health (@NovantHealth) October 17, 2019
The clinic, situated in a lower-income section of Charlotte, as the Chicago Tribune reports, will provide much-needed access to primary and preventive care to locals. According to The Mind Unleashed, patients will also have access to behavioral health and social support services.
The facility measures 6,800 square feet and is teeming with 12 exam rooms, an X-ray room, and a physical therapy space. Also, a full-time social worker will be on-hand to assist patients.
Jordan and Novant selected the location due to data demonstrating that people in the neighborhood have a dire need for high-quality medical care.
Michael Jordan donated $7.2 million to open up two new Novant Health Clinics in Charlotte that plans to provide care to underprivileged members of the community, per @theobserver pic.twitter.com/WupLde3V1S
— NBA Central (@TheNBACentral) October 18, 2019
Community members gave input on their needs at meetings, forums, and recruitment events after Jordan first announced back in 2017 that he would commit $7 million to construct the clinics.
The billionaire had previously come under criticism for largely ignoring social justice causes, as well as failing to address issues of political and social importance to the black community, with several critics arguing that Jordan had become closer to wealthy white politicians and business people rather than common black people.
Nevertheless, in recent years, the NBA legend has engaged in several philanthropic pursuits, such as hosting a celebrity invitational golf tournament and distributing the proceeds of a legal settlement to charities across the Chicago area while also donating some millions of dollars to a range of other charitable causes.
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