The YMCAs of Memphis and the Mid-South will house primary healthcare centers in the upcoming year. Chamber Benefits Inc., a subsidiary of the Greater Memphis Chamber, the YMCA, and WeCare tlc said that they plan to open the centers starting in 2024, targeting markets in Whitehaven, Downtown Memphis, and Cordova, and plan to open “the first two centers after enrolling a total of 6,000 lives in the program, including dependents.”
“The goal of the program is to expand access to healthcare for businesses and individuals, especially in areas of Memphis where affordable primary care options are needed the most,” said the organizations in a joint statement.
“Now in the rear-view mirror of the pandemic, we understand that access to quality equitable healthcare is even more punctuated,” said Ted Townsend, president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber. “The need for an offering like this throughout our community is absolutely critical and vital.”
Townsend said that not only are they focused on a healthy economy, but a healthy community as a whole. Through partnerships with the YMCA and WeCare, Townsend said that they are continually looking for ways to create advantages for businesses, specifically small-owned.
Through the ChamberCare Health Centers,businesses of all sizes can enroll their employees in the program for $40 per month per employee, said partners. Individuals may also enroll for $40 per month, and dependents are included at no extra charge.
The centers will be operated by WeCare tlc, a second-generation, family-owned and Tennessee-certified Woman Business Enterprise company.” Townsend explained that they pride themselves on working with all kinds of businesses, especially those minority or women-owned. Raegan Le Douaron, CEO and owner of WeCare tlc, said that the company itself was born out of the need for small business owners to control their healthcare costs.
“This program is something that employers pay for, but the employees do not,” said Le Douaron. “Full primary care is offered to the employees and their dependents on their health plan at no cost to the employees.”
Le Douaron also honed in on the regional impact of their partnership. “We’ve always known that if you can have one employer on their health plan, [then] that’s terrific. The real value is when you compound that over an entire region,” she said.
According to partners, the centers will be approximately 2,500-square-feet, and will have full-time staff, primary care physicians, and health coaches. Townsend said that they want these health centers located “all across Memphis and the Mid-South,” which is why he said their partnership with the YMCA is so critical.
“They have the existing infrastructure with their YMCA centers across the community,” said Townsend. He explained that this increases access to a “neighborhood amenity,” and is a major step in accessibility to healthcare, by expanding primary care access in “low-income neighborhoods.”
Jerry Martin, president and CEO of the YMCA of Memphis & the Mid-South said that not only does this community partnership provide more access to healthcare, but it also has the “potential to create lasting change in our communities health and wellness.”
“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 & wellness journeys,” said Martin.