Good morning, distinguished guests. My name is Dr. Stephen Wallenhaupt, and I am the chief medical officer for Novant Health ? the parent organization for Presbyterian Hospital.

When I first received the invitation to join the festivities from Dr. Oriaku and Dr. Aluko, I was most humbled and flattered to be a part of this grand opening celebration. Thank you so very much for including me in this event.

Your theme, Challenges in Minority Health Care, is an issue Presbyterian Healthcare has been working hard to address in our community.  In fact, one of our organization?s core values is diversity. Accordingly, every week, dozens of caring physicians, nurses and other clinicians work in communities around the region with the sole focus of helping to eliminate disparities in healthcare.

Consider a few of these facts from the National Center for Health Statistics:    

1 out of 4 black men, and nearly 1 in 5 black women over the age of 18 smoke

1 out of 3 African American men over the age of 20 has high blood pressure

4 out of 10 African American women over the age of 20 suffer from high blood pressure

We want to change statistics like these, and we are committed and dedicated in our efforts to make that happen. Our organization strongly believes that the key to addressing these issues are through community outreach and partnerships. To really make an impact, we recognize that we must deliver healthcare beyond our hospital walls. We want to connect long before a person?s health is compromised. For through every encounter with a someone in need, we truly believe we are living our mission ? which is to:

Improve the health of the community, one person at a time

Let me give you a few examples of how are teams are trying to make a difference:

Congregational health promoters ? Presbyterian Hospital employs African American and Latino health promoters who exclusively work with faith based organizations throughout the communities. Harry Burns, who is in fact was just named North Carolina?s Hospital Chaplain of the Year, helps train parishioners to identify the healthcare needs of the church. After each training session, Harry works with the promoters on arranging free screenings and health lectures based on the churches? needs. Similarly, Sandra Peynado does outreach to the Latino community, helping to empower individuals to determine the healthcare needs of church members. Our congregational health promoters work through our parish nurse program, which is another way we also connect with minority communities in the region. Parish nurses serve directly in the churches, offering parishioners free health screenings and easy access to healthcare resources and referrals.

Community Cruiser ? Last year, Presbyterian Hospital unveiled a 40-foot ?hospital on wheels?. Called the Community Health Cruiser, this vehicle delivers free healthcare to children and teens, focusing on the underserved areas in our communities. The clinicians on board offer many free health services to patients who on many occasions, have never been to a doctor?s office in their young lives. Our cruiser?s medical team provides:

Free immunizations

Free developmental screenings

Free primary care

Free asthma treatment, and many other services

Presbyterian Hospital?s congregational health promoters have been instrumental in connecting us to children in need by working through churches around the community. Once a month, the cruiser makes rounds to the same churches and community centers so citizens can rely on going to the same location for healthcare.

AA Cultural Center ? Recently, Presbyterian Hospital forged a five-year partnership with the Afro-American Cultural Center.  During the center?s Family Cultural Appreciation Day, Presbyterian Hospital launched the partnership by offering free health screenings to participants. Through this new partnership, we plan to work with the center to heighten awareness of prevention and treatment of diseases that disproportionately affect the African American community. When the Afro American Cultural Center moves into its new facility in the Wachovia First Street Project in 2009, Presbyterian Hospital will be the center?s preferred healthcare provider.  We feel blessed that we were asked to be a part of this center of enrichment.

The Charlotte Community Health Clinic ? Presbyterian Hospital supports the Charlotte Community Health Clinic, a critical resource serving uninsured patients who are not eligible for state or federal assistance.  Many patients who attend the clinic are from the minority community. The clinic provides free health services, screenings, consultations and other resources.  Presbyterian donates staff time, medical testing, building lease, operational support and other resources.

I've touched on a few outreach efforts we?ve engaged in to address the medical needs of our citizens and the challenges faced in minority health care.  But we know there is so much more to do.  We know we can continue our efforts and our mission by partnering with the Crown Clinic. We share in your joy during this landmark occasion of opening ?day?. Congratulations to all of you who have worked so hard on opening your practice. All of us at Presbyterian Hospital look forward to collaborating with you and improving the health of all of those we serve.