Atrium Health and the YMCA of Greater Charlotte are both institutions that are deeply committed to serving the community in and around Charlotte. Atrium Health and the YMCA help thousands of people each year with their everyday needs, from acute medical care to finding preventive healthcare, staying fit, and being part of a community.
Now, Atrium Health and the YMCA of Greater Charlotte are continuing to support the communities they serve during this unprecedented time to continue to meet the evolving needs of the community during the coronavirus pandemic.
A shared sense of community and partnership
Working together for the health and wellbeing of the community isn’t new for Atrium Health and the YMCA of Greater Charlotte. In 2017, Atrium Health became the official community health partner of the YMCA of Greater Charlotte. A year later, Atrium Health opened a practice in Charlotte's Dowd YMCA, making healthcare more accessible to many low-income members of the Dowd YMCA branch. And in 2019, Atrium Health and the YMCA teamed up once again to launch Wellness on Wheels, offering medical and wellness services to the community through a mobile health unit. Since the program began, Wellness on Wheels has provided nutrition education and health screenings (like blood pressure screenings and diabetes tests) to people in the Charlotte community who need these services the most, but often lack the means to get them.
Rising to a challenge in innovative ways
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Atrium Health has maintained its longstanding commitment to all members of the community – providing essential medical care at hospitals and medical practices. Now, Atrium Health is also finding new ways to address this ongoing crisis through additional testing and services for those affected by COVID-19.
Because of the restrictions in place due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the YMCA of Greater Charlotte had to temporarily close all 19 of their branches. But that can’t stop the YMCA’s deep commitment to the people of Charlotte. Now, the YMCA has found new ways to bring services to those who need them most during this pandemic, working closely in a continued partnership with Atrium Health.
Mobile coronavirus testing
With the support from the YMCA of Greater Charlotte, Atrium Health has been able to reconfigure the existing co-branded Atrium Health and YMCA mobile health unit, Wellness on Wheels, for mobile Coronavirus Testing Centers. The mobile unit is able to quickly get to different parts of the Charlotte community week by week, including YMCA branches, to provide coronavirus tests wherever they’re needed most, specifically underserved and minority communities with limited access to care.
Using data collected via a Geographical Information System (GIS), Atrium Health personnel can identify hotspots in where COVID-19 may be spreading rapidly. The mobile Coronavirus Testing Centers offer free, immediate testing who anyone who has COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, coughing, and loss of smell and/or taste. There’s no appointment required, and no referral needed.
Childcare for frontline healthcare workers
Atrium Health knows that its essential healthcare workers with children will only be able to report to work if they have reliable childcare. Thanks to generous donors, free daycare was made available at several YMCA facilities in the greater Charlotte area and beyond.
Each location is taking precautions to protect the health of the children and staff who are providing childcare. These extra safety measures include health screenings, low staff-to-child ratios, and social distancing measures. The children are able to practice distance learning with their schools during the day; the YMCA is also providing fun activities for the children.
“Thanks to our partnership in place with the YMCA of Greater Charlotte and our aligned missions to serve and care for all, we were able to act quickly to provide much-needed services like mobile testing and childcare for essential healthcare workers,” says Kinneil Coltman, DHA, chief community and external affairs officer at Atrium Health. “Both Atrium Health and the YMCA remain committed to serving everyone in our community to meet their health needs.”
For more information on the mobile testing sites and schedule updates, visit www.AtriumHealth.org/GetScreened
