New Orleans-based Ochsner Health and Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health have signed a letter of intent to partner on expanding access to care for adults 65 and older, the health systems announced in a July 13 news release.
Ochsner and Novant said the partnership aims to meet the needs of this population "and provide benefits beyond medical care, including social support and wellness resources to care for the whole person."
As part of the partnership, the health systems plan to build 65 Plus clinics throughout the Southeast U.S.
The clinics will provide access to extended visits with primary care physicians and a multidisciplinary team to design a customized care plan for each patient, Ochsner and Novant said. Each clinic will also offer regular social events, fitness centers and health coaching.
Currently, Ochsner operates 65 Plus clinics in Covington, La.; Baton Rouge, La.; and Pensacola, Fla.
Novant and Ochsner said the Pensacola location will become the first 65 Plus location of the joint venture between them.
Ochsner will continue to fully own and build 65 Plus locations in Louisiana, and the health systems will collaboratively identify additional locations across the Southeast, they said.
Ochsner operates 46 hospitals and more than 370 health and urgent care centers in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Gulf South.
Novant, which operates in North Carolina and South Carolina, has 16 medical centers and more than 1,900 physicians in more than 800 locations.