Drill rig arrrives at clinic building site; engineers bore holes and take soil samples for testing. Test results will determine the type of foundation to be laid for the new clinic.
Sunday, 05 October 2008
Groundbreaking Held October 4, 2008!
Tangier Island Health Foundation board members break ground for new
Tangier Island may be just a tiny sliver of land in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay, but people throughout Virginia and beyond care deeply about the health needs of its people.
That simple fact was demonstrated again and again on October 4th when the Tangier Island Health Foundation held its groundbreaking to mark the impending construction of a modern health clinic to serve the island’s 600 residents.
“How we got here today was because of people responding,” said Foundation Chairman James N. Carter, Jr., who spearheaded the project after touring the current facility in November, 2005. “It’s amazing how many friends you all have.”
Public institutions, foundations and private individuals have shown their support through donations, grants, and pledges that will meet the $1.2 million estimated cost for construction and equipment. The new facility will replace a 50-year-old structure that’s cramped, ill-equipped and in serious disrepair.
When construction is completed next year, islanders will have a vastly modernized clinic that will be able to handle far more of the islanders’ medical problems, enabling those who are sick to avoid costly trips to the mainland for care. The commute can even be dangerous when inclement weather creates rough seas, and can be particularly taxing on the elderly and those with serious illnesses.
Dr. David Nichols, named “Country Doctor of the Year” in a national competition in 2006, has provided medical care in the outdated facility for 29 years, commuting weekly by boat, plane or helicopter. In the early days it was sometimes so cold in the clinic that you could see your breath, he recounted. “But no one complained.”
When Carter first toured the clinic in 2005, it was an eye-opening experience for Dr. Nichols as well. Carter “made me realize I had become so focused on the patients here that I had become oblivious to the conditions,” Dr. Nichols said. He soon realized that a better future was within reach. “We knew we had a compelling story.”
Dr. Nichols made his comments on a brilliantly sunny Saturday on Tangier. He stood within the spray-painted footprint of the new clinic, with the Tangier water tower as a backdrop. What began as a small event with just a handful of key supporters (and the promise of a much larger celebration when the clinic opens next fall) grew into an island happening. Nearly 200 townspeople attended, with town leaders organizing and hosting a pot-luck lunch for all— complete with live music—after the ceremony.
“Isolated the way we are, this new clinic is very much needed,” said Tangier Mayor James Eskridge, a resident waterman with deep family ties to the island. “We have had a lot of people working on this for a long time—people who don’t even live here, but they care about the community.”
State and federal grants have been supplemented by generous donations from foundations, civic clubs, churches, and individuals. Checks presented at the groundbreaking ranged from $760 raised by a church bake sale, to $12,000 worth of new medical equipment from regional Rotary clubs, to a $50,000 donation from Julien and Terri Patterson, residents of the Washington, D.C. area who have a vacation home in nearby Irvington, Virginia.
Some of the key professionals who have donated their time and expertise to the project from its inception were also recognized, including:
- B.H.B. Hubbard, III, an Irvington lawyer who’s handled all the legal work for the new clinic
- McGuireWoods Consulting, a Richmond firm that was instrumental in securing a $300,000 state grant from the 2006 Virginia General Assembly
- William D. Prillaman, an Irvington architect who designed the new facility
- David Jones, a White Stone contractor who is coordinating the construction process
- Nancy Dykeman, a Gloucester CPA who has handled all the clinic’s accounting work.
Health care on Tangier took another leap forward last year, when Tangier native Inez Pruitt became the island’s first full-time medical professional. Pruitt, who started helping with filing at the clinic after dropping out of high school to marry, eventually earned her GED and, with encouragement from her clinic colleagues, returned to school in 2001 and completed her studies to become a physician’s assistant.
“This is my island, my home, my paradise,” said Pruitt, who was introduced by Dr. Nichols as “the future of Tangier health care.” “I am grateful for [the clinic] we have,” she said. “But I can’t tell you how much more grateful I am that we are getting a new facility.”
As the ceremony wound down, Carter asked everyone “to come up and turn a little piece of dirt.”
“This belongs to all of us,” he said.
Saturday, 04 October 2008
Major Gift Launches Next Campaign Phase
From left: Jimmie Carter, Dr. Nichols, Terri Patterson, Julien Patterson. (Photo by Ken Touchton)
At the October 4th groundbreaking for the new Tangier Island Health Center, Julien and Terri Patterson presented a check for $50,000 to Tangier Island Health Foundation Chairman Jimmie Carter and Dr. David Nichols. The Pattersons are residents of Oakton and Irvington, Virginia and have been following fundraising progress for the new facility from its inception in early 2007. "With this gift,” Patterson said, “ Terri and I wanted to make a significant contribution that will kick off the next stage of fundraising for this important project, enabling the Foundation to maintain the building and its equipment for years to come.”
Monday, 02 June 2008
Church Members Pledge $25,000 for Clinic Construction
In March the Session of the Campbell Memorial Presbyterian Church in Weems, Virginia, agreed to pledge $25,000 for construction of a modern health clinic for Tangier Island, payable upon the start of construction. In announcing this generous grant, church Elder Richard A. Scott said, “We admire the efforts you have made in serving the people of Tangier Island and pray for the successful completion of the new clinic.”
On May 18th, Tangier Island Health Foundation Chairman Jimmie Carter and board member Dr. David Nichols were invited to present plans for the new clinic to the members of the church during their Mission Sunday service, and at lunch following the service. Addressing the congregation Jimmie Carter said, “On behalf of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, I want to thank you all for this amazing gift. This project is so important to the people of Tangier Island who are as grateful as we are for this gift and the community support that it expresses.”
In the photo, from left: The Reverend Clay Macaulay, Pastor; Tangier residents Jerry Pruitt and Physician’s Assistant Inez Pruitt; Dr. David Nichols; church member Suzi Bowman; Foundation Chairman Jimmie Carter; and Project Director Tina Hagen.
Cabell Foundation Awards $200,000 Grant
The Board of Directors of the Cabell Foundation, based in Richmond, Virginia, has approved a $200,000 grant to the Tangier Island Health Foundation. Half of this amount will help with equipment needs. An additional grant of $100,000 will be made pending a one-to-one match for construction of the new health clinic.
“With this wonderful donation, the completion of our state matching grant, and the recent pledge from the Campbell Memorial Presbyterian Church in Weems, we are now almost three-quarters of the way toward our goal of $1.25 million for constructing and equipping the clinic,” said Foundation Chairman Jimmie Carter.
The Cabell Foundation was established in 1957 by Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Cabell, III of Richmond, Virginia. Grants are normally made on a challenge or matching basis for capital projects in the areas of arts and culture, community development, higher education, historic preservation, and social services and welfare.
Site Preparation Begins . . .
With the demolition in May of the old house occupying the site of their modern health facility, islanders celebrated its reality with photos like this one taken by clinic receptionist Cindy Parks.
Friday, 02 May 2008
Recent Grant Brings Tangier Clinic Closer to Construction Goal
With a generous grant of $250,000 recently awarded by a family foundation, the Tangier Island Health Foundation has been able to meet the balance of its $285,000 matching grant from the Commonwealth of Virginia.
This gift constitutes a major boost toward our Campaign goal of $1.25 million to build and equip a modern clinic on the island. On awarding the grant, a trustee of the foundation said, “We hope that this gift not only will help improve health care on Tangier, but also encourage others to contribute to a project that we consider important to the preservation of this unique island culture.”
“This incredible gift moves us to a position where we can see the new clinic just over the horizon,” Tangier Island Health Foundation Chairman Jimmie Carter said. “We are fortunate that the trustees of this foundation understood the need for a new clinic on Tangier Island and saw our mission as fitting their own goals. We, and the citizens of Tangier Island, are deeply appreciative of their generosity.”
Tuesday, 15 January 2008
Kellogg Foundation Awards $25,000 Grant to Help Build Health Clinic on Virginia’s Isolated Tangier Island
A $25,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has enabled the Tangier Island Health Foundation to complete fundraising for its first goal: purchase of the land on which a modern health clinic will be built for the residents of this remote island community in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay.
“Tangier is Virginia’s only island community and a national treasure,” says James N. Carter, Jr. "It is so isolated that its 600 residents still speak an Elizabethan dialect dating back to the island’s colonization in the 1600s." But the remoteness of this waterman community causes serious problems when it comes to accessing quality medical care.” Carter established the foundation last year after discovering the appalling condition of the existing clinic during a visit with Dr. David Nichols, who has piloted his own aircraft to the island every Thursday for the past 28 years to provide residents their only consistent primary health care.
The Foundation aims to build and equip an attractive, state-of-the-art facility that adheres to the island’s architectural heritage, providing a range of primary care, emergency services, and wellness and prevention programs. It will replace the existing clinic—a crumbling fifty-year-old bungalow with outdated equipment. The new clinic will also function as a base to attract additional medical providers, thus broadening the scope of medical services offered on the island.
A non-profit, community-based organization, the Tangier Island Health Foundation is committed to improving access to primary and preventive health care for Tangier‘s population. The venture is a public-private partnership, with the goal of raising $1.25 million to provide the quality of health care that this underserved population both needs and deserves.
Last year the Virginia General Assembly validated the project’s importance with a $300,000 matching grant presented to the islanders during a visit by Governor Timothy M. Kaine. Governor Kaine has since included an additional grant proposal of $200,000 for the project in his 2008-10 budget. The balance of the clinic’s funding will come from private foundations such as Kellogg, and caring individuals.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation was established in 1930 “to help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations." To achieve the greatest impact, the Foundation targets its grants toward specific areas. These include: health; food systems and rural development; youth and education; and philanthropy and volunteerism. Within these areas, attention is given to exploring learning opportunities in leadership; information and communication technology; capitalizing on diversity; and social and economic community development.
Tuesday, 01 January 2008
National Geographic: A Waterman's Life - Tangier Island
The Chesapeake Bay sustains Tangier Island waterman - James Eskridge, Jr. It's his history, his living, and - as he tells it - the only future he wants.
Click here to view clip: A Waterman’s Life – Tangier Island
Monday, 31 December 2007
Recipes from the Island
New Shipment of Popular Tangier Island Recipe Book Has Arrived!
When Tangier Island Health Center colleagues Cindy Parks, Cindy Wheatley, and Anna Parks decided on a project to help raise funds for the island’s new health clinic, they had no idea how successful it would be. “Island Treasures: Collected Recipes,” is now in its third printing. To date 535 books have been sold and the Tangier Island Health Foundation has received its first gift of the proceeds.
It took two months to collect, type, and print the 202 recipes from island residents. Each section of the book (Appetizers, Soups & Salads, Main Dishes, etc.) is preceded by a “Helpful Hints” page. Contributors were encouraged to present at least two favorite seafood recipes (crab, of course, features prominently). Other tasty offerings range from “Cubbit Creek Gumbo” to “Lee’s Tugboat Meatloaf” to “Ain’t Your Mamma’s Banana Pudding.” All are attractively presented in a spiral-bound edition with a clear index and a back section featuring pages on pantry basics, cooking time tables, an equivalency chart, and calorie counts.
Cover art was contributed by Ken Castelli, who will be the island’s artist-in-residence, working with the Tangier History Foundation to create a new museum for the island during the summer of 2008. The book was published at no initial cost by Morris Press Cookbooks of Kearney, Nebraska. The Chesapeake Bay Foundation has purchased 200 copies and more than 300 have been sold on the island.
A new shipment has just arrived and copies may be purchased for $12.00 (+ $3.00 shipping charge) by contacting:
Cindy Parks
Tangier Island Health Foundation
PO Box 259
Tangier, VA 23440
Phone: 757-891-2412
Email: parkscp75@yahoo.com
Or they may be picked up in person from the White Stone Family Practice in White Stone, Virginia.
Please contact:
Kim Clark
Phone: 804-435-3133
Email: kclark@whitestonefamilypractice.com
Checks should be made payable to the Tangier Island Health Foundation.
Thursday, 27 December 2007
Recent Press
September 25, 2008
A Closer Look
When Charlotte Hayman called me from Reedville and described the modern-day treasure hunt called “geocaching,” I thought she was nuts. But now that I’ve spent a morning playing the game with Charlotte and her husband, Sonny, I can see why they’re pumped. (article no longer available online)
- The Rapphannock Record Online
January 16, 2008
‘Red Hats’ Want to Help Build Clinic on Tangier Island
The Red Hot Granny's in Newport News are calling on all fellow Red Hat Society members in Hampton Roads to pony up $10 to help build a modern medical clinic on Tangier Island, a isolated community on a tiny spit of land in the Chesapeake Bay.
- The Daily Press
January 14, 2008
Land Bought for Tangier Clinic
Efforts to replace the outdated clinic on Tangier Island moved a step closet to reality today with the announcement that organizers have bought land for the new clinic.
-Richmond Times-Dispatch InRich.com
January 14, 2008
Organizers of a much-needed island medical center reached their first milestone by buying land for the clinic with the help of a $25,000 private grant they announced today. The grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in addition to a portion of $300,000 in state funds the General Assembly earmarked last year enabled the Tangier Island Health Foundation to make the purchase.
-Richmond Times-Dispatch InRich.com
December 26, 2007
Islanders Hope for Modern Clinic
Claudine Eskridge walked into Tangier Island's Gladstone Memorial Medical Center, hoping to walk out free of pain and knowing why her right knee was swollen and her feet throbbed.
- The Daily Press
November 22, 2007
The Rotary Club of West Point welcomed David B. Nichols and James N. Carter, Jr. as speakers at their Nov. 8 meeting. Nichols has been flying to Virginia's Tangier Island once a week for 27 years to care for more than 600 isolated residents. Carter is the Chairman of the Tangier Island Health Foundation.
- RedOrbit.com
January 19, 2007
David Nichols - Doctor Makes Weekly Helicopter Housecall to Island in Need of Help
Twenty-seven years ago, Dr. David Nichols made a promise after he visited the 600 residents of tiny, isolated Tangier Island, just off the coast of Virginia. "I promised them that I would continue to come, and not just come for a year or two as other people have and then leave the patients stranded," Nichols said.
- ABC News Person of the Week
January 2, 2007
Doctor Takes Job to New Heights
The license plate on David Nichols' helicopter reads "DR COPTR." For 27 years, the physician has flown to an isolated island population in the Chesapeake Bay each week to provide care. This fall, his efforts earned him the 2006 Country Doctor of the Year Award from the organization Staff Care.
-USA Today
December 2006
The isolated islanders have medical needs like everyone else. But with only one rundown clinic and weekly visits from Dr. David Nichols, it’s a struggle to care for them. Could help be on the way?
-Chesapeake Life Magazine
December 11, 2006
Tangier Doctor: "This is My Mission"
It’s not easy to earn the trust of the Tangiermen who are often skeptical of outsiders. But Canadian native Dr. David Nichols has become like a celebrity in these parts because he’s kept a promise to provide desperately needed medical care to isolated, rural islanders who would otherwise put their medical needs aside until it was absolutely necessary to be flown or boated to the mainland. (article no longer available online)
- The Daily Times
December 5, 2006
By Plane or Boat, Doctor Makes His Rounds
On a sight seeing trip to Tangier Island, Dr. David Nichols saw a medical mission. A pilot, he started flying in on Thursdays, his day off, and worked in the clinic. At the time, folks thought they had seen his kind before. Well-meaning, but...
- The Virginia Pilot
December 5, 2006
Doctor’s Soaring Loyalty Rewarded
David Nichols flew an airplane every week to practice medicine on Tangier Island until he bought a helicopter to make the commute across the Chesapeake Bay. Now, 27 years after flying into the hearts of island residents, he's been named Country Doctor of the Year for 2006. (article no longer available online)
-Richmond Times Dispatch
July 28, 2006
The Doctor Who Watches Over an Island
It first appears as a smear on the horizon, barely visible through the helicopter's windshield on the hazy expanse of the Chesapeake Bay. Soon an outline emerges, then houses, a church, white picket fences and a weedy, forlorn airstrip.
-The Washington Post
Download recent_press_9.25.08.doc
Monday, 25 June 2007
10 Places to See in Virginia
Growing up on a vanishing wisp of land in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay has its advantages.
"Get up in the morning, go out, rove the seashores or go out in a boat," said retired schoolteacher Bruce Gordy, 66, recalling his childhood on Tangier Island. "Look for Indian arrowheads. Play ball all day. Go swimming. Just a natural playground."
- Richmond Times-Dispatch
Click on link above to view article + slideshow.
Saturday, 09 June 2007
Governor Tim Kaine visits Tangier Island - June 8, 2007
McGuireWoods Consulting Helps
Tangier Island Receive Grant for New Health Care Clinic
RICHMOND, VA – Gov. Tim Kaine and Secretary of Health and Human Resources Marilyn Tavenner traveled to Tangier Island on Friday, June 8, 2007 to announce a $300,000 matching fund grant for a new health clinic to be built on this remote island in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay.
The announcement took place at the Tangier Combined School and was attended by Secretary of Agriculture and Forestry Bob Bloxom, Sen. John Chichester, Del. Lynwood Lewis, Del. Rob Whitman and Supervisor Ron Wolff, Accomack Board of Supervisors. The event launched a public/private partnership aimed at bringing modern medicine to Tangier.
The new clinic, to be built with funds raised by the non-profit-organization, Tangier Island Health Foundation, will replace a crumbling, 50-year-old building with several structural problems and obsolete equipment. For 50 years this has been the only medical facility to serve Tangier’s 650 residents. Jimmie Carter, Founder and Chairman of the Tangier Island Health Foundation, estimates that building and outfitting the new clinic will cost approximately $1,250,000.
To read the entire press release from McGuireWoods Consulting please click below:
Download MW_Tangier_Island_Medical_Facility_Announcement.doc
Friday, 01 June 2007
Dr. David B. Nichols on ABC World News
Dr. David B. Nichols has been flying to Virginia's Tangier Island once a week for 28 years to care for the 600+ isolated residents. After being nominated for his efforts by a local resident, Dr. Nichols was named Country Doctor of the Year for 2006. This is a national award sponsored by Staff Care, a physician staffing firm. Dr. Nichols was selected as ABC News Person of the Week for the week of January 19, 2007.
Saturday, 24 February 2007
Virginia General Assembly Commending David B. Nichols, MD
House Joint Resolution No. 760 and Senate Joint Resolution 426
Sponsored by Virginia Delegates Lynwood W. Lewis, Jr. from the 100th District and Robert J. Wittman from the 99th District and Virginia Senator Nick Rerras from District 6, a joint resolution was introduced commending Dr. David B. Nichols for his contributions to Lancaster County, Tangier Island and the Commonwealth.
Thursday, 15 February 2007
Tuesday, 06 February 2007
Funding
February 2008
In his fiscal 2007-08 budget Virginia Governor Tim Kaine designated a matching grant of $200,000 to the Tangier Island Health Foundation. (This was increased to $300,000 by the state legislature and later reduced to $285,000 in across-the-board budget cuts.) As we work toward matching this challenge grant, we are pleased that the governor has also included a new grant proposal for an additional $200,000 in his 2008-10 budget. We applaud Governor Kaine for his interest in promoting more adequate health care for this underserved population, and also for his desire to preserve a 400 year old landmark in our nation’s history that began with Captain John Smith’s exploration of the Chesapeake Bay and discovery of Tangier Island in 1607.
December 2006
Moving Forward on Health and Health Care
I am also suggesting funds for community organizations, such as St. Mary’s Health Wagon, the Virginia Health Care Foundation and the Tangier Island Health Foundation LLC, which continue to strengthen our safety net as we address this problem.
- Governor Tim Kaine
Monday, 05 February 2007
Tangier Island's History
In the summer of 1608 Captain John Smith began his exploration of the Chesapeake Bay. From Cape Charles he traveled up the bay to the Potomac River, continued as far as present-day Washington D. C., and then back down to Jamestown, Virginia. At one point he was very badly hurt by a stingray and had to return to Jamestown to be treated. It was during these two voyages, while looking for fresh water, that he came across a group of islands in the middle of the bay. He named them the "Russell Isles," for a Doctor Russell who was then on board ship with him. This group of islands is known today as Smith, Tangier, and Watts Islands.
Tangier Island is about 6 miles below the Maryland-Virginia State line. In Virginia state records, all the islands below the state line were once known as the "Tangier Islands."
For more information: Tangier Island Guide
Wednesday, 24 January 2007
Country Doctor of the Year 2006
Country Doctor of the YearSM award, sponsored by Staff Care®, recognizes their continuing contribution to rural healthcare.
The award is presented to a physician who best exemplifies the spirit, skill, and dedication of America's rural medical practitioners. Anyone with knowledge of an extraordinary physician may submit a nomination.
Monday, 01 January 2007
TIHF Receives IRS Determination Letter - Under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code
It's official! Effective October 20, 2006 - all contributions to the Tangier Island Health Foundation are tax deductible. The IRS has determined that we are exempt from Federal income tax. We are also qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under section 2055, 2106 or 2522 of the Code.
Tangier Island Health Foundation is a non-profit organization whose founding purpose and mission is to raise funds to build, equip, and maintain a new health clinic on the isolated island of Tangier. Thank you for sharing in our excitement with this step forward towards our goal.
Who We Are
Recipes from the Island
In it's 3rd printing - A collection of favorite recipes from local Tangier men and women and those out of towners who have become like family.
Proposed Clinic
Rendering of the proposed Tangier Island Health Clinic - Architectural design by William D. Prillaman, Irvington, Virginia.
Photo Albums
- Click on any of the albums below to view pictures:
Clinic Groundbreaking
- All photos taken by Ken Touchton © 2008
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