When you have health insurance, it is easy to take access to healthcare for granted. Navigating the healthcare system without insurance is an incredible challenge—especially when serious medical needs arise, and you are in survival mode trying to provide for your family. AMM’s patients have complex and chronic conditions – not easy or routine. Through collaborations with community partners and other nonprofit organizations, AMM is able to assist patients in receiving more than just the primary care we offer.

Many of you have asked us how the proposed merger between WakeMed and Atrium Health could affect Alliance Medical Ministry (AMM) and the patients we serve.

When a patient understands their health information, they are more likely to be an active participant in their healthcare decisions, find it easier to manage medications, and be an advocate for their health. 

We are often asked about rising healthcare costs and what can be done to reduce them in Wake County. Nationally, there is a concept known as healthcare hot spotting—a data-driven approach that identifies patients with the greatest healthcare needs and highest healthcare costs, then addresses the factors driving those challenges.

“Whole-person” care really means seeing each person as more than a diagnosis. At Alliance Medical Ministry, patients arrive not only with medical concerns but also with housing instability, financial stress, anxiety or depression, and the heavy demands of caring for loved ones. Our teams listen first, learning about the complex realities that affect health—transportation barriers, food insecurity, language needs, legal concerns—and recognize that clinical treatment must be paired with practical, compassionate support.

The strength of our community is measured not just by its growth, but by how we care for those in need. We’re grateful to have a community that recognizes that—and helps make this work possible.

I thought I would share some data which really speaks to the value AMM brings to our community. AMM is a member of the North Carolina Association of Free and Charitable Clinics - a group of about 70 clinics across the state. Each year, we report the results of our clinic operations and the impact we have made on the community. Happy to share our 2025 impact.

Just this week, 3 volunteers started with us – including a First Year UNC School of Medicine student who is doing a rotation through AMM. Later this year, we will have several Kenan Urban Scholars come through for extended periods of time. And at the same time, we have 3 Medical Assistants leaving us to go to grad school – one to become a PA, the other 2 to receive MPH degrees from UNC. We are really proud to help shape the mindset of the next generation, as access to healthcare is going to remain one of the top issues facing our community.

In Wake County, the medical safety net is not sufficient to meet the growing needs of our most vulnerable neighbors. The human cost is profound. The economic cost is equally real—when uninsured individuals delay care, they often become sicker and rely on emergency rooms, placing strain on hospitals and the broader community.

We want to express our heartfelt appreciation for your unwavering support of AMM. Your generosity and commitment to community have allowed us to provide care to the most vulnerable populations in Wake County. It has been a challenging year, particularly when taking care of a population of patients like ours that has chronic disease on top of many other types of issues in their lives that do not lend themselves to good health.

As we enter this season of thankfulness and giving, I want to share my deep gratitude for you — our community of supporters who make healing possible at Alliance Medical Ministry.

Thanks to a generous grant from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust, AMM is transforming care for uninsured patients with diabetes—helping prevent serious complications like kidney disease, blindness, and amputations.

At Alliance Medical Ministry, we rely completely on philanthropy—not Medicaid or insurance reimbursements. That independence keeps us flexible and ready to care for our patients, no matter what changes in healthcare policy come our way.