Charlotte, NC, Jan. 27, 2016 – On Thursday, Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m., the Physicians’ Impact Fund presented grants totaling $336,800 to eight local non-profit organizations. The presentation occurred at the Belk House, located on the Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center campus. Grant recipients included NC MedAssist, Charlotte Neuroscience Foundation, Safe Alliance, Anuvia Prevention and Recovery Center, The Relatives-NeighborCare, Ada Jenkins Center, Shelter Health Services, and the Lake Norman Community Health Clinic.
The Physicians’ Impact Fund was created by physicians and friends in the greater Charlotte region to strengthen the health of the community through comprehensive health initiatives for the underserved. Since its inception in 2010, it has raised more than $1,100,000 for area nonprofits focused on health care. “The Physicians’ Impact Fund is one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever been involved in,” said co-chair Thomas Hayes Woollen, MD, of Novant Health Hallmark Care. “Local physicians have been challenged by the Charlotte community to work together and give back, and we have risen to that challenge.”
Through the power of collective giving, PIF has been able to reach more than 28 thousand lives in the past two years alone, with estimated savings of more than $20 million in terms of improved access to primary medical care, reduced ER visits, and enhanced patient compliance.
NC MedAssist and Charlotte Neuroscience Foundation tied for the Physicians’ Impact Fund’s $10,000 award as the number one choice by PIF members; therefore, each organization will receive an additional $5,000 on top of their original grant requests.
NC MedAssist, the only free pharmacy program in Mecklenburg County, will use their $65,000 grant to help support the addition of a pharmacist and the expansion of their medication possession ratio program, which measures patient compliance and ensures better medical outcomes. The organization has seen a 48 percent increase in prescriptions dispensed in 2015. NC MedAssist seeks to ensure that no eligible person in Mecklenburg County has to choose between purchasing food or their needed medication.
The Charlotte Neuroscience Foundation, who supports the work of Memory Center Charlotte, will use their $55,000 grant to add a RN and MD team to help meet the growing demand of Alzheimer’s and related dementias patients. The funding will also help cover caregiver training and support programs.
Through the power of collective giving, Physicians' Impact Fund awards high-impact grants to organizations whose missions seek to improve the health of the local community. Woollen, fellow physicians and friends know the health care needs of the underserved in Mecklenburg County are great. The fund’s members agreed to contribute at least $1,000 a year to address those needs.
Novant Health Foundation Presbyterian Medical Center provides operational support for the Physicians’ Impact Fund so that 100 percent of the money donated by Physicians’ Impact donors goes directly back to the community. For more information, please visit http://www.physiciansimpactfund.org.
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