Two medical clinics in Charlotte communities receive one of the largest philanthropic donations from Michael Jordan, the billionaire owner of the Charlotte Hornets who pledged to contribute $7 million, according to the Charlotte Observer. The fund will be sent to Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Clinics that are illustrated to serve some of the city's most poorest areas.
Clinics to open possibly in late 2020
"I am proud to partner with Novant Health to bring critical health services to underserved areas of Charlotte and the thousands of North Carolinians with limited access to health care," Jordan said.
"It is my hope that these clinics will help provide a brighter and healthier future for the children and families they serve."
About 16 months ago, Jordan, an NBA legend and North Carolina product, met with healthcare provider Novant, based in Winston-Salem, and discussed healthcare services that will aid disadvantaged populations, according to Jordan's representative Estee Portnoy. Novant (formerly known as Presbyterian) has been sponsoring the Hornets (formerly known as Bobcats) over the years.
Seeking solutions to poverty issues
Jordan's decision to fund clinics was predominantly influenced by a 2014 study from Harvard and the University of California at Berkeley that indicated that poor children in Charlotte are less likely to get out of poverty.
The Charlotte-Mecklengburg Opportunity Task Force revealed a wide-ranging report seeking solutions to city's economic-mobility problems.
Dr. Michael Hoben, who oversees Novant's primary-care clinics in the Charlotte area, noted in the opportunity task force report that one of the key economic-mobility challenges facing patients is lack of access to health care.
In order to access health care for lower costs, patients could possibly be eligible to sign up for Medicaid funded by states and the federal government.
Novant anticipates that, over five years, 35,000 children and adults will make available to primary and preventive care at the Jordan clinics. Additionally, Novant remarked that the two clinics have a number of healthcare service offerings, including behavioral health, physical therapy, social work, and oral health.
Vocal on political and social issues
In recent years, Jordan finally voiced opposition to social and political issues, including the police shootings of African Americans and the North Carolina House Bill 2 that banned transgender people from utilizing government's bathroom targeting the gender with which they identify. He also issued a statement to advocate NFL players who wished to exercise their right to free speech by kneeling in protest during the national anthem.
The healthcare service is not the only thing Jordan chipped in. In 2016, he also contributed a philanthropic donation of $1 million to the NAACP Defense Fund as well as the Institute of Community-Police Relations, respectively. The Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture had received a $5 million gift from Jordan last year.
According to Forbes, Jordan is a billionaire with a net worth of $1.4 billion, thanks to his investment in ownership of the NBA franchise. He had been the world's most marketable athlete who has been endorsed by Nike, which owns Jordan Brand for shoes and apparel. As a part of 8-year sponsorship pact that now features Nike logo on NBA jerseys, the Hornets place its "Jumpman" logo on uniforms.
