TANGIER ISLAND—
The doors of a new medical center opened on Tangier Island Sunday.It is a far cry from the 50-plus-year-old building residents of Tangier were used to going for treatment..
A few years ago we introduced you to a doctor who spent every Thursday in an aging medical center providing treatment for the people on the Island.
Now that new state of the art facility bears his name.
Sunday hundreds of people, including Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell packed the grounds for the dedication of the David B. Nichols Health Center.
They came by boat and by plane, crossing the Chesapeake Bay to celebrate on Tangier Island.
"It's not an insignificant little dot of land. It's something that's grand and wonderful and a place where normal people live and love and Dr. Nichols put it on the map," said Tangier native Edwina Crockett.
Dr. Nichol called his time on Tangier and the new medical center a blessing.
State and federal dollars combined with private donations helped pay for the $1.7 million project.
Dr. Nichols said he remembered when neighbors lined outside of the old health center waiting on him to arrive in his helicopter.
He piloted his helicoputer there every Thursday for 31 years.
He and other workers acknowledged the old center was simply inadequate. At times, it had a leaky roof, no hot water and outdated equipment.
When patients walk through the doors of the new center they are re greeted by a bright, modern facility filled with state of the are medical equipment.
A huge board in front is filled with the countless names of donors who helped to turn Dr. Nichols' dream into a reality.
"It's the culmination of so much love. It really is in the tradition of the American spirit," said Dr. Nichols.
Sunday's dedication was bittersweet because Dr. Nichols is terminally ill. Doctors say cancer could take his life by the end of the year.
Amy Fuerer, who worked with Dr. Nichols, traveled from Williamsburg for Sunday's dedication.
"[Dr. Nichols] is an incredible man who has a genuine care for the field of medicine. He strives for quality care in all he does, inspiring everyone. His work here on Tangier is a testament to that," Fuerer said.
