Charlotte, NC., March 14, 2017 - The YMCA of Greater Charlotte and Carolina HealthCare System announce that Carolinas HealthCare System will become the official community health partner of the YMCA. 

This partnership will focus on five areas:  preventing and managing chronic disease, improving behavior health, improving access to care, reducing violence and eliminating disparities.    To effectively address community health issues, the organizations will create a joint internal Health and Wellness Advisory Board, led by Alisahah Cole, MD, vice president and system medical director of community health at Carolinas HealthCare System, to establish strategy around the five targeted areas and to guide the partnership’s programs alongside the Y’s evidence-based, licensed programming delivered on locally and nationally.

"Over the past decade, the city of Charlotte has grown and flourished, often lauded across the country as one of the best places to live, yet too many in our communities suffer disproportionately from chronic disease and higher mortality rates," says Dr. Cole. "This partnership will take direct aim at the barriers and challenges all of our citizens and neighbors face in their quest for better health."

The partnership will also include a clinical presence at the Dowd YMCA and a jointly sponsored mobile unit to extend healthcare services to urban and rural communities where access is currently absent or difficult. Both Carolinas HealthCare System and the YMCA believe that by doing this work purposefully and thoughtfully – in lockstep with others in the community -- significant and long-lasting impact can be made in the lives of Charlotte’s citizens.

About Carolinas HealthCare System
Carolinas HealthCare System (carolinashealthcare.org), one of the nation’s leading and most innovative healthcare organizations, provides a full spectrum of healthcare and wellness programs throughout North and South Carolina. Its diverse network of care locations includes academic medical centers, hospitals, freestanding emergency departments, physician practices, surgical and rehabilitation centers, home health agencies, nursing homes and behavioral health centers, as well as hospice and palliative care services. Carolinas HealthCare System works to enhance the overall health and wellbeing of its communities through high quality patient care, education and research programs, and numerous collaborative partnerships and initiatives.

About YMCA of Greater Charlotte
The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. The YMCA of Greater Charlotte, comprised of 19 membership locations and two resident camps, engages approximately 272,000 men, women and children – regardless of age, income or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Deeply rooted in the community for over 140 years, the YMCA of Greater Charlotte has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but to deliver, lasting personal and social change. www.ymcacharlotte.org