COVID-19 Timeline
March 3, 2020
The first case of COVID-19 in North Carolina is identified.
Governor Roy Cooper declares a state of emergency in North Carolina.
March 15
The city of Charlotte and Mecklenberg County jointly declare a state of emergency.
March 16
CCHC enters its COVID-19 response protocol, temporarily switching to telephone-only visits.
CCHC’s primary focus during the pandemic becomes the provision of care to patients with chronic disease who are at high risk for COVID-19.
March 27
Governor Cooper institutes a state-wide stay-at-home order for all North Carolinians.
April 1
To ensure that patients maintain access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic, CCHC creates 8 Access to Care teams, each dedicated to a different area of care, e.g. Behavioral Health Team, Chronic Disease Care Team, Homeless Outreach Team, et cetera. Teams are led by a provider and consist of a cross-section of staff from each department.
April 6
CCHC pilots video visits, allowing patients to safely and efficiently communicate with providers to receive the care they need.
April 13
CCHC officially rolls out its video visit procedure. Since April 13, around 75% of new appointments have been telehealth visits (phone or video). Additionally, CCHC provides video-enabled laptops to team members who must work from home and don’t have access to their own technology resources.
April 27
In accordance with its goal of maintaining access to care for at-risk patients, CCHC holds its first chronic disease drive-thru clinic, offering services such as medication distribution, blood pressure readings, point-of-care testing for A1C and cholesterol, and more for our chronic disease patients.
May 8
North Carolina enters Phase I of its reopening protocol.
May 21
United States Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar visits CCHC and meets with leadership to discuss testing, telehealth, and other challenges and successes from the frontlines of the COVID-19 response.
May 22
North Carolina enters Phase II of its reopening protocol.
June 1
CCHC enters Phase I of its reopening protocol, opening for a limited number of in-person appointments.
June 9
CCHC redefines its objectives during the pandemic, establishing three main goals:
1. Help stop the spread of COVID-19
2. Continue to provide quality primary care, including urgent care, chronic disease management, and preventative treatment
3. Protect and support our staff
Throughout June
CCHC continues its dedication to access to care for its patients by shifting its Chronic Care Management, Education, and Counseling resources to take place entirely online, like its colonoscopy education course
August 9-15
National Health Center Week 2020! CCHC’s (mostly virtual) celebrations include donation drives for our pediatric and homeless patients, mask handouts for all our patients and staff, and a catered lunch for CCHC employees!
August 10
CCHC enters Phase II of its reopening protocol. All employees return to work and CCHC opens more availability for in-person appointments.
Thank you to all who donated masks, hand sanitizers, et cetera for making this possible!
September 21
CCHC begins its drive-thru testing protocol, designating 3:00 – 4:00 each day for existing patients to safely get tested for COVID-19 without leaving their car.
January 8, 2021
CCHC holds its first COVID-19 vaccination event for eligible community members and staff.
Throughout 2021
CCHC hosted 26 COVID-19 vaccination events and administered 5,500 vaccine doses to patients and community members.
November 2
The CDC recommends the COVID-19 vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 years old. CCHC begins vaccinating patients in this age group for COVID-19.
June 2022
The COVID-19 vaccine is approved for children aged 6 months to five years. The first CCHC patient under the age of five receives the COVID-19 vaccine at our University clinic.
August 2022
CCHC has vaccinated over 4000 people since January 2021!
Thank you to all our team members who made achieving this milestone possible!