NBA legend Michael Jordan opens up fourth North Carolina health clinic for the uninsured

After successfully building three other clinics, as mentioned on Upworthy and Scoop Upworthy, NBA all-star Michael Jordan teamed up once again with Novant Health to build a fourth clinic for the uninsured in North Carolina. The health clinic is the second one built in Wilmington and opened on February 19, 2025.

Jordan is considered by many to be the greatest basketball player to compete in the National Basketball Association. With a career at the top spanning from 1984 through 2003, Jordan became a six-time NBA champion and four-time gold medalist in the Olympics. Jordan would be inducted in the NBA Hall of Fame in 2009.

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How these clinics are changing lives for the uninsured

This creation of this health clinic was based on the benefits shown from the previous clinics in the state. After the success of the first clinic, Jordan gifted $10 million to Novant Health to expand and create others. Each location was chosen based on the barriers the community was facing in obtaining health care, including transportation. Many patients had their first primary care visit with a physician thanks to Jordan’s clinics providing these services for people who cannot afford health insurance.

This new clinic will have a standard primary care team of physicians, but also a community health worker to assist the patients and grant access to community resources. The 7,3000-square-foot clinic and its 12 patient rooms will be open on weekdays.

The broader picture: Healthcare access in America

Unfortunately, many people still lack access to affordable health care and health insurance. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 27.1 million Americans were uninsured in the first quarter of 2024. Keep in mind that being insured doesn’t necessarily mean that a person’s health needs were met or had received full coverage. A 2024 YouGov poll showed that 49% of Americans were dissatisfied with the state of the U.S. health care system.

Clinic are factoring more and more into health planning in the US. Photo credit: Canva

So what can a person do to improve their health care? Individually, if a person obtains health insurance through their employer, they can investigate speaking to their HR representative or union head and work with them to go through different plans for you and your coworkers to find the best option. Discuss gaps in various coverage and see if your employer is open to finding a different employee health plan to address those gaps. If you don’t have a health care plan through your work, you can see what options are available to you through the Affordable Care Act.

If you aren’t finding the health care you are looking for and want to enact larger change, you may want to get politically involved. Investigate to see if there are groups in your area advocating for the change you want to see in the American health care system. They can point you towards proposals, elections, and candidates that fit your views and that you can help get elected or enacted.

Doing so will help not only yourself, but help others gain access to the health care you wish to receive, much like Michael Jordan’s generous gesture. It's a slam dunk for the whole team.