Michael Jordan in tears as he opens $7 million clinic for the uninsured: "It's from the heart"

In the past few years, basketball legend Michael Jordan has been immensely generous with regard to his philanthropic work. Most recently, he inaugurated a health clinic in his hometown of Charlotte, established in order to cater to underserved and uninsured communities. The Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic, to which he donated a whopping seven million dollars, held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, October 17. The retired athlete was seen tearing up during the inauguration and gave a rather moving speech about the hopes he held for the clinic. The center has already been in operation for three weeks now, The Daily Mail reports.

Jordan stated regarding his large donation to the health center two years ago, "It's from the heart... I stand here before you as a proud parent, son, obviously a member of this community." He made sure to let everyone know that his extended family deserved just as much recognition and praise for the development of the clinic as he did. "You see my name, but yet you see a lot of people behind me and the commitment, especially from my mom, about caring for other people and being a part of a community that matters."

His seven million dollar donation is what helped fund the clinic in the first place and will go towards financially struggling residents of the Charlotte area who cannot access quality healthcare. The donation is also expected to improve the overall community's access to medical care. In an official statement, The Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic affirmed, "[We] will also offer additional comprehensive care, including behavioral health and social support services, to more directly address health equity gaps and social determinants of health in our communities."

CEO and president of Novant Health Carl Armato added, "At Novant Health, we are deeply committed to caring for patients beyond our walls. This clinic will not only provide access to medical care for those who need it most, but it will connect them to resources to ensure their health extends beyond the doctor's office. We are so grateful for Michael Jordan's continued partnership and generous gift, which will transform thousands of lives in the west Charlotte community." Jordan is, of course, deeply connected to Charlotte. Not only is he a longtime resident of the area, but he also played college-level basketball at North Carolina prior to launching his highly successful professional sports career with the Chicago Bulls.

The health clinic was instituted to improve access to medical care in "an area identified as having high priority public health concerns by a Health Needs Assessment," the center's official press release noted, adding, "This assessment was conducted not long after Charlotte was ranked 50th out of 50 in economic mobility for children born into poverty by a 2014 Harvard University/UC Berkeley study." The clinic will be open to all from Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. Walk-in patients are accepted along with same-day appointment scheduling. As per recent reports, more than 300 patients have already been seen by staff doctors, social workers, and other healthcare professionals at the health center. Hopefully, The Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Medical Clinic will be the first step towards a happier and healthier Charlotte.