Mercy partners with WNC Bridge Foundation to provide MercyMe memberships to area families
March 31, 2023 by Keely Knopp
Mercy Urgent Care is pleased to announce it has received partnership support from WNC Bridge Foundation to provide yearlong MercyMe healthcare memberships to 32 families in Western North Carolina. The recipients are primarily employees of nonprofit organizations in the five counties where Mercy Urgent Care’s eight facilities are located.
“Mercy Urgent Care launched MercyMe in 2022 to provide the lowest cost, highest access healthcare option possible for our patients,” said Mercy Urgent Care CEO Rachel Sossoman. “We’re pleased to partner with the WNC Bridge Foundation to build healthier communities across Western North Carolina.”
WNC Bridge Foundation is a community-based charitable organization that works to provide funds to support and assist in meeting the many health challenges that face the people of Western North Carolina. In 2021, the foundation invested $6.2 million across the 18 counties of WNC, with $4.6 million in grant funding for local nonprofits.
“In conversations with nonprofits, we often hear the challenges these hardworking organizations face; providing employee benefits is often a top concern,” said WNC Bridge Foundation CEO Scott Buchanan. “It made perfect sense for WNC Bridge to partner with Mercy Urgent Care to provide comprehensive healthcare packages for individuals who are doing so much good in their communities.”
Recipients of the WNC Bridge sponsored MercyMe memberships were chosen based on their ties to area nonprofits and need for healthcare access. Some of the organizations represented include the following:
- My Daddy Taught Me That is a youth development program designed to support young men in Asheville through advocacy, education and mentoring.
- Food Connection has provided more than 500,000 meals to people in need by rescuing and redistributing freshly prepared food that otherwise would have been thrown away.
- Sharing House is a source of compassion and crisis assistance for low-income (up to 200% above poverty line) in Transylvania County.
- Haywood Habitat for Humanity has been building affordable housing in Hawyood County since 1990.
Due to the size of its organization and budget, Food Connection is one of many nonprofits that is unable to provide health insurance for employees. Executive Director Marisha MacMorran realizes this can be a hindrance in recruiting and retaining a diverse staff, but the organization is continually working toward solutions that will keep their staff healthy and happy while they are in service to the community.
“As a single mother with a modest salary, I have struggled for years to find the right healthcare plan that has both an affordable monthly premium and covers necessary medical services,” MacMorran said. “When I received the call to participate in the MercyMe membership program, I was in disbelief that the program would be available to me. With this membership, I had much less worry about the chance of my son getting hurt — as I know that I can go to Mercy if he gets injured or becomes sick.”
Launched in July 2022, MercyMe memberships offer comprehensive healthcare packages for individuals, families and employees for as little as $29 per month for an individual and $59 per month for a family of four. The essential plan includes up to three in-person or virtual visits per year, an annual wellness check, annual flu shot, and discounts on additional visits and services. The premium plan includes unlimited in-person or virtual visits per year, an annual wellness check, annual flu shot, and discounts on additional services.
The MercyMe memberships sponsored by WNC Bridge Foundation will provide a family of up to six members with six in-person and virtual visits per year, annual wellness checks and flu shots, plus discounts on additional visits and services.
“We are hopeful that this partnership is only the beginning,” Sossoman said. “Mercy Urgent Care hopes to work with the WNC Bridge Foundation to expand the MercyMe program to even more employers and families in need each year. Our ultimate vision is to be the catalyst for bringing equitable healthcare access to the communities we serve.”
