LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A UofL Health urgent care in Louisville’s Parkland neighborhood has a new piece of equipment thanks to a pair of generous donors.
Urgent Care Plus could purchase an echo machine, which uses ultrasound to monitor a person’s heart.
“Unfortunately, the leading killer of Americans since 1918 has been heart disease, and it’s really time that we start to reverse that,” Dr. Kim Williams, chair of the UofL Health Department of Medicine and a cardiologist at the urgent care, said.
On Monday, the two donors, Ted Nixon and Frank Harshaw, were recognized for their $350,000 contribution.
“Truly you are the heart of this community and we appreciate it very much,” Tom Miller, CEO of UofL Health, said.
This donation will help the city’s west end, which has historically not received the same resources at other areas in Louisville.
“The socioeconomically deprived don’t get imaging, they don’t get access to specialists, and this is what we are hoping to provide here,” Dr. Williams said.
Nixon explained a little over a decade ago he had a heart attack. Nixon says without his doctors, he wouldn’t be here today.
“So if there is anything that I can do for people who need health care and people in Parkland and people west of ninth need health care, it’s certainly my pleasure to reach out and I am thrilled to be here with Frank (Harshaw) and for the two of us to be able to do this,” Nixon said.
The men’s donation also will allow the urgent care to hire a full-time social worker.
“We know how difficult it is to go through the health care process, and to be able to have someone who can work with them in their communities to gain access to care is so vitally important,” Miller said.
Urgent Care Plus is in the Parkland neighborhood directly across the street from the Dare to Care Food Bank. Staff there expressed in a statement to Spectrum News 1 their excitement in this donation.
“Too often underserved communities do not have adequate access to health care and yet they have some of the greatest health care needs,” Alexus Richardson, Director of Communications at Dare to Care Food Bank, said. “The services they’re providing will go to great lengths to ensure our community is healthy and has access to much need resources.”