Jordan was in attendance for the opening of a third Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic in his Wilmington, North Carolina hometown
Michael Jordan celebrated the opening of a new health clinic in his hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina and PEOPLE has an exclusive photo of the basketball legend at the event.
Jordan, 61, and Novant Health teamed up to open a third clinic, the Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic on Greenfield St. in Wilmington, to bring “much-needed comprehensive primary care services,” according to a release.
The clinic will include medical opportunities for “individuals who are uninsured or underinsured,” a cause close to the former NBA star’s heart.
“Everyone is worthy of access to quality health care, no matter where you live or if you have insurance,” Jordan said in a release, adding that he is “truly inspired by the many powerful stories of people who are now thriving thanks to the support of our Charlotte medical clinics.”
Jordan, whose $10 million donation to Novant Health allowed for two additional Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinics to be built in Wilmington, added, “I am confident Novant Health’s new clinic will positively impact individuals and families throughout Wilmington,” and said he’s ”profoundly grateful to help make this day happen for my hometown.”
According to the release, many of the patients visiting Jordan’s clinics have “never had a primary care provider before” and have “praised the clinic teams for helping restore health and a sense of hope” to families in North Carolina, where Jordan currently resides.
In a statement, Ernie Bovio, president of the Novant Health Coastal Region and Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center, said, “Each Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic has been thoughtfully planned for the best location within the community. Thanks to our care team’s commitment to lifelong wellness, our third Michael Jordan clinic is already delivering on our vision to close health equity gaps by transforming healthcare, one patient at a time.”
The clinic includes 12 patient rooms and will be supported by a primary care team as well as a community health worker to help assist patients with community resources, per Novant Health’s release.
In an additional photo from the clinic on Tuesday, Jordan can be seen speaking to attendees during the opening.
In a heartfelt message to Hornets fans at the time, Jordan described the opportunity to own an NBA franchise in his home state as “a dream come true.”
Jordan said he’ll “never forget the excitement” in the city when the Hornets name returned to “its rightful home in Charlotte” in 2013 in his open letter to Charlotte. (The Hornets left Charlotte in 2002 and were replaced by the Bobcats. Under Jordan’s leadership, the team reclaimed the Hornets name in 2013, SI reported.)
Jordan looked back on the Hornets’ return to Charlotte as a “uniting” moment for the city’s Bobcats and Hornets fanbases. “Our fans told us how important this was, and the amazing level of support and enthusiasm proved their point,” he wrote.