Health care clinics to open in Memphis-area YMCAs. Here's a look at the new program.
The Greater Memphis Chamber, YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South and WeCare tlc are partnering to bring primary health care clinics to YMCA locations across the Memphis area.
What started as an idea at a Greater Memphis Chamber board of directors meeting in 2006 to reduce health costs in the Memphis market is now becoming a reality thanks to the partnership.
The aim of the health clinics is to expand access to health care in areas of Memphis where affordable health care is needed most. Chamber Benefits Inc. will help promote and administer the clinics. Chamber Benefits Inc. is a subsidiary of the chamber dedicated to providing the highest quality and most cost-effective employee benefit products to Memphis businesses.
Businesses of all sizes will be able to enroll their employees in the program for $40 per month per employee. Individuals can also enroll themselves in the program for the same price without a company. Employees are not subject to a co-pay or deductible. Additional costs will be for lab work and chronic medications, which will be paid for by the employer at a discounted rate.
"We want to make our community as well as our economy healthier," said Ted Townsend, CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber. "When you have a healthy population, it means your economy is going to be thriving. So we see this as a virtuous cycle of benefits and better outcomes for all in an affordable way."
The clinics will consist of five lab rooms in a 2,500-square-foot space. They will have full-time staff that includes primary care physicians and health coaches. The ChamberCare Health Centers will provide primary care services such as physicals and well care consultations, acute and urgent care, chronic disease management, nurse health coaching, laboratory service, and on-site prescription drug dispensary.
The ChamberCare Health Centers will be operated by WeCare tlc, a nationally recognized and Tennessee-certified Women Business Enterprise that operates healthcare centers across the nation.
"The chamber is providing and bringing forward a very proactive, independent, primary care platform that levels the playing field in a number of different ways," said Raegan Le Douaron, president and CEO of WeCare tlc. "It allows for the smaller employer to have access to the programs that larger corporations are able to bring about to their employees."
The three targets for the first openings include the Cordova YMCA location, the Downtown location and the newly renovated Whitehaven in early 2024. The order the locations open in will be determined based upon the locations of the employers and the individuals who sign up.
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The partners plan to open the first center after 6,000 people, including dependents, are enrolled. They will continue to add a new location for every 2,000 people who enroll in the program. There are nine YMCAs in the Memphis area where they hope to eventually open a clinic.
"This potential partnership perfectly aligns with our mission and will serve a crucial need in our communities and enables the Y to broaden our services to continue to help families and individuals to thrive in their health and wellness journeys," said Jerry Martin, the president and CEO of the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South.
There will be job postings coming soon for a physician, a nurse practitioner, registered nurses, medical assistants and a social worker.
The partners will also be at the "Build Benefits that Matter, For a New Employee Value Proposition" event held by Healthcare Tennessee on Wednesday for people looking for more information. The event will be from 6:30-11 a.m. at University Center on the University of Memphis at 499 University St.
Jordan Green covers trending business news for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached via email Jordan.Green@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter@_green_jordan_
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Health care clinics to open in Memphis YMCAs: Here's how it will work
