Ground broken for expansion of Outer Banks Health Family Medicine practice in Manteo

Published 11:03 am Saturday, May 4, 2024

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Land has been cleared in the area behind the current Outer Banks Health Family Medicine building in Manteo to allow for expansion. Theresa Schneider photo

Members of Outer Banks Health leadership are joined by Walter Holton, MD and wife Barbara to break ground for the expansion of the family medicine practice in Manteo. The project will double the size of the existing building and oﬀer Dare County greater access to primary care, noted Outer Banks Health. Shown, from left, are Tess Judge, Outer Banks Health board chair; Lynne Miles, FACHE, administrator of regional operations; Walter Holton, MD [retired]; Barbara Holton; and Ronnie Sloan, FACHE, president. Courtesy Outer Banks Health

Outer Banks Health broke ground in March to begin construction on the primary care practice in Manteo. The expansion project will double the size of the existing practice and oﬀer eight exam rooms, a dedicated telebehavioral room and a wellness oﬃce. The new entrance to the practice will face the highway and oﬀer easier access for those with disabilities. Courtesy Outer Banks Health

Outer Banks Health celebrated a milestone as it broke ground for the expansion of its family medicine practice in Manteo on March 19, 2024. The groundbreaking ceremony coincided with the 22nd anniversary of the opening of The Outer Banks Health Hospital on March 19, 2002.

The expansion project aims to double the size of the existing building, creating a 7500- square-foot facility dedicated to providing primary care services to the community. With more than 16,000 primary care patients currently served by Outer Banks Health, the Manteo practice stands as the second largest in Dare County, with 3,600 patients, second only to the organization’s primary care practice in Kitty Hawk.

Ronnie Sloan, FACHE, president of Outer Banks Health, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to enhance healthcare services in Dare County, stating, “We have been fortunate enough over the last year and a half or so to recruit six additional providers to Dare County for primary care.”

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Sloan also highlighted the visionary leadership of Walter Holton, MD, one of the ﬁrst full-time physicians in Dare County. “You know, at the end of the day, we couldn’t do any of this without this man here, this physician, Dr. Holton, who came here in 1974 and worked here for 40 plus years and then turned over the reins. He had this vision himself. I’ve seen it on paper, to expand this clinic one day.”

The new building’s entrance will face the highway, and is being built to enhance accessibility for individuals with physical disabilities, “a crucial aspect of Outer Banks Health’s dedication to ensuring access to care for all members of the community,” noted an Outer Banks Health news release.

“Outer Banks Health remains steadfast in its commitment to the community. The expansion of the Family Medicine practice in Manteo along with the recent opening of the state-of-the-art Cowell Cancer Center, reﬂects Outer Banks Health’s ongoing commitment to advancing healthcare delivery and meeting the evolving needs of the residents and visitors of Dare County and the surrounding region,” the release continued.

For more information, go to outerbankshealth.org.

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