Leaders of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Medicine and Shelby County government gathered Thursday to mark the opening of ShelbyCares on 3rd, a community health and wellness facility aimed at enhancing access to free health coaching, preventive health screenings, and nutritional support classes for underserved populations in the community.
G. Nicholas Verne, MD, interim executive dean of the UTHSC College of Medicine, highlighted the importance of the services provided by ShelbyCares. “When we consider the diseases that often go unrecognized in the United States, particularly in Shelby County, such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension, we are dealing with silent killers,” he said. “Many of our patients are unaware that they are living with these conditions. This initiative plays a crucial role in early detection and intervention, which is vital for our patients. We are sincerely grateful for this phenomenal opportunity to provide excellent care and significantly improve the health of our patients. Prevention is key, and we firmly believe that it is better to prevent these diseases, rather than trying to cure them.”
ShelbyCares on 3rd is the second community health and wellness facility administered by UTHSC and the first to include direct referrals. ShelbyCares on 3rd is revolutionizing access to vital primary and preventive care within our community, said Jim Bailey, MD, executive director of the Tennessee Population Health Consortium at UTHSC, professor of Preventive Medicine, and ShelbyCares project lead. “In Memphis, the demand for guidance in healthy eating, diabetes prevention, and self-care is paramount. Our dedicated health coaches are harnessing the power of food as medicine to empower individuals to make healthier choices, shed excess weight, and experience improved well-being. By addressing these pressing concerns, we aim to combat the alarming rates of premature heart disease that afflict our community.”
Read more at our UTHSC news site.