CONCORD, N.C. (Jan. 6, 2020) — NorthEast Foundation is pleased to announce a grant it received from NASCAR Driver Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation that will fund an inaugural Veterans Recognition Program at Atrium Health Cabarrus.  The program, set to launch in early February, was a need identified by caring, committed and dedicated nurses advocating for veteran patients.  Like the Checkered Flag Foundation, Atrium Health Cabarrus wants to honor and assist those who have sacrificed greatly for our country through the establishment of the Veterans Recognition Program. 

“As a veteran Army nurse, it is an honor to be a part of this program,” said Kate Grew, Vice President of Nursing at Atrium Health Cabarrus. “A heartfelt thank you to the Checkered Flag Foundation, Brad and Paige for their support.”

The Atrium Health Cabarrus Veterans Recognition Program will ensure every identified veteran patient experiences a special welcome upon hospital admission as well as recognition and appreciation for their sacrificial service during their hospital stay.  Veterans will be provided with a special “Welcome Kit” along with an American flag being placed outside their door and on their bed during their stay.

In addition, our veteran patients will be honored and recognized with the “Code Honor” protocol upon their passing in the hospital.  This is a similar program already in place at Atrium Health Mercy.  The program will provide an honorable “discharge” from the hospital upon a veteran’s death by draping the stretcher with the American flag and having the veteran and their family escorted by security from the deceased veteran’s room.  “Code Honor” will not only show Atrium Health Cabarrus’s respect for the veteran, but for the veteran’s family.

“As we celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the Checkered Flag Foundation in 2020, Paige and I can’t think of a better way to start our year than partnering with the NorthEast Foundation and Atrium Health Cabarrus,” said Brad Keselowski, NASCAR Driver and Checkered Flag Foundation Founder. “We are looking forward to recognizing and supporting the veterans who need healthcare services in our community.”

Brad Keselowski, who founded the Checkered Flag Foundation in 2010, and his wife Paige have assisted or honored more than 250 individuals and organizations to help veterans and first responders throughout the country.  In addition to being a NASCAR champion in the top two levels of the sport, Keselowski has been recognized throughout his career for his charitable giving and philanthropy.
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Based upon self-identified veteran patient data for a 12-month time period from 2018 to 2019, Atrium Health Cabarrus provided medical services to 752 veterans predominantly from Cabarrus County and its three surrounding counties.  Cabarrus County Veterans Services data indicates there are 13,000 veterans currently living in Cabarrus County alone.
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Atrium Health Cabarrus is a regional 457-bed hospital with more than 1,100 physicians and 4,000 employees providing services through an extensive inpatient and outpatient network, including a Heart and Vascular Center, Jeff Gordon Children’s Center, Hayes Women’s Center and Batte Cancer Center, part of Atrium Health’s Levine Cancer Institute.