Founded in 2002, TheOuter Banks Hospital a private, not-for-profit acute care hospital is celebrating its third year of service. Fully accredited from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the hospital is realizing its vision - to be the healthcare resource of choice for the Outer Banks community.

The Emergency Department at The Outer Banks Hospital is the only healthcare facility on the Outer Banks open year round, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. With demand peaking during the summer months, the hospital made a provision this past summer to expand its Emergency Department by hiring additional staff. Three seasonal, full-time emergency room physicians joined the hospital's four year-round board certified physicians. Thirty-five nurses plus adjunct personnel complemented the summer roster. All together, this team treated close to 10,000 patients during the months of June, July, August, and September 2004 and close to 23,000 for the entire year.

In August alone, the Labor and Delivery Department broke a record by delivering 52 babies (the previous record for a month was 45). All total, the department has delivered 425 babies for the year while maintaining excellent patient satisfaction scores. In addition to the 2 Labor-Delivery-Recovery-Postpartnum rooms, The Outer Banks Hospital also has a dedicated Cesarean section operating suite.

The Outer Banks Hospital's laboratory has been approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and by the College of American Pathologists. The all-digital state of the art Radiology Department provides cutting edge rapid diagnosis using multislice CT, MRI, ultrasound and radiography. The mammography service is fully certified by the FDA and the American College of Radiology and all mammograms are interpreted by fellowship-trained breast imaging specialists. No longer do those seeking tests need to cross the "sound" barrier to find the best in medical diagnostics.

Since opening its doors, The Outer Banks Hospital has monitored the service it provides through a patient satisfaction survey conducted by a national organization. Every 3 months, close to 300 patients are randomly selected to receive a phone call and asked to answer a pre-set list of questions. The scores, on a scale of 1 to 5 (with 5 being perfect) are compared with other hospitals throughout the nation. For the first two quarters of 2004, the hospital has scored outstanding ratings for patient satisfaction, with a 4.66 and a 4.68 in each of the two quarters, which exceeds the national database and places the hospital in a 98 - 99 percentile-ranking nation wide.

Volunteers continue to play a vital role in the life of the hospital, staffing the Information Desk, Gift Shop, Emergency Department and various other departments. Currently 76 volunteers, ranging from former FBI, CIA, teachers, nurses, utility workers, publishers, accountants, homemakers - and 15 students - gave 5,074 hours to the hospital last year.

The Outer Banks Hospital participated in many outreach projects this past year including Relay for Life, Outer Banks Senior Games, Tour de Cure, Red Cross Blood Drive, La Leche League Art Show, Seascape Charity Golf Tournament, Healthy North Carolina, Sports Sponsorships at Manteo, First Flight and Cape Hatteras High Schools, Trick or Treat Under the Sea, Festival of Trees and the Health & Fitness Expo. In addition, a new series of free workshops, Healthy Matters, commenced this fall with topics to be announced in the local papers.

For more information contact The Outer Banks Hospital at (252) 449-4500 or toll free at (877) 359-9179. Located at 4800 S. Croatan Highway, Nags Head, NC 27959.

Other Hospitals Nearby:

Albemarle Hospital in Elizabeth City, NC; Chesapeake General in Chesapeake, VA; Pitt-Memorial Hospital in Greenville, NC; Chowan Hospital in Edenton, NC and Sentara Norfolk General in Norfolk, VA.

Other Large Medical Facilities are:

Regional Medical Center - High Quality Medical Services Close to Home:

Regional Medical Center, located at Milepost 1 ½ in Kitty Hawk, is affiliated with Albemarle Hospital in Elizabeth City, a regional, not-for-profit, community hospital committed to high-quality care. Regional provides a sophisticated diagnostic center which includes CT, MRI, and Mammography; Cardiac Rehabilitation; Urgent Care and Family Medicine (provided by Beach Medical Care, Ltd.); Outpatient Surgery; an extensive community education program; and more than 50 physicians representing more than 20 specialties. These specialties include Allergy and Asthma, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Nephrology, Neurology, Neurosurgery, OB/GYN, Pediatrics, Psychology, Pulmonary Medicine, Reconstructive and Enhancement Surgery, Rheumatology and Urology.  Regional's "The Rehab Place at the Y" offers physical therapy at the Outer Banks YMCA in Nags Head, and Island Medical Center, the offices of Johnny Farrow, M.D., provide Family Practice medical care in Manteo.  Free health screenings are offered throughout Dare County and range from cardiac well-screens to prostate, skin cancer, vascular, and colon-cancer.  Regional's annual Community Health Day and extensive "Lunch and Learn" programs provide many opportunities for health education. For information on wellness programs, please call Bonnie Brown, Community Relations Coordinator, at 255-6006.

Other Facilities:

Healtheast Family Care Hatteras, 57635 Hwy 12, Hatteras, NC 27943. (252) 986-2756 Comprehensive medical care for children and adults.. Emergency care with 24- hour on-call coverage. Specialties include Family Medicine and Internal Medicine. Hatteras Village.

HealthEast Family Care Avon: Hwy. 12, Avon on Hatteras Island. This facility offers family medicine by appointment only and a 24 hour physician on call. (252) 986-2756.

HealthEast Family Care Nags Head: Located behind the Outer Banks Hospital, Nags Head, NC 27959. Phone: (252) 441-3177. Offering high quality primary care service for children and adults. Specialties include Internal Medicine and Pediatrics.

The Outer Banks Cancer Center opened in 2004 at 4125 S. Croatan Hwy, Nags Head offering radiation treatment for cancer patients. Phone: (252) 261-0777.

A new Outer Banks Urgent Care Center opened at 4923 South Croatan Highway, Nags Head in 2004. Open early, closing late six days a week, this facility accepts patients by appointment or walk-in. New patients welcome.

Ocracoke Health Center: Located on the Back Road. (252) 928-1511 or 928-7425 after hours. A physician's assistant and nurse practitioner provide general medical care for all ages at this small island clinic, which is overseen by HealthEast Family Care on Hatteras Island. Walk-ins are accepted, but appointments are preferred.

Private Practices:

For private practices in family medicine, dentists, in-home care or other private services, see the following Headings in the Chamber's Membership Directory

County Health Services:

The Dare County Health Department is located at 109 Exeter Street, Manteo (252)475-1089. A satellite office is located in Buxton (on Highway 12) at 995-4404. Some of the Dare County Health Department's services include: family planing, immunization and well child, diabetes education, school health, prenatal, HIV treatment and counseling, health screenings, outreach programs and more. New in 2005, a Community Care Clinic will provide services to the uninsured and underinsured residents and workers in Dare County.

The Currituck County Health Department is located on the main US 158 Highway, just north of the Currituck County Courthouse. Another clinic is located in Powells Point. Public health services include skilled nursing and therapy for the homebound, prenatal, post-partum, family planning and well child care, women's, infants, and children's program, athletic and pre- kindergarten physicals, immunizations, cancer screening, school vision, hearing and scoliosis tests. Some services are provided on a fee/income based scale. For more information about the Currituck County Health Department, call 232-2271.

Albemarle Mental Health offers help in dealing with mental, substance abuse and developmental disability services. There are three offices in Dare County and one in Currituck County: 102 Old Tom St. (Evans Building), Manteo 473-1135; 2514 S. Croatan Hwy., Nags Head 441-9400; Sun Realty Building, Avon 995-4951; Grandy (on US 158 Bypass south of Pickett's Restaurant) 453- 8886 or 232-2408.

Dare County Dialysis Center: Located at 115 Exeter Street in Manteo (behind Chesley Mall), this facility is a partnership of Dare County and University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina. Physicians referral required. (252) 475-3530.

The Dare County Older Adult Services is located at the Thomas A. Baum Senior Center on the Baum Tract in Kill Devil Hills and can be reached at 475-5835. The Fesseden Center on Hatteras Island can be reached at 475-5650. The Currituck County Senior Center is located on Caratoke Highway in Currituck and can be reached at 232-3505, ext. 250.

These groups serve the needs of older adults (55 and older) and their families. Services offered include: home-delivered meals, Tax Aide, transportation services, health screening, health insurance information, recreational, arts & crafts programs, Outer Banks Senior Games, Green Thumb employment and training sponsorship and volunteer opportunities.

Number of Physicians by County (2001 Estimates):