THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 13, 1994 TAG: 9408130300
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LARRY W. BROWN, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 75 lines
Dr. Daniel J. Dickinson has spent the past year literally bridging the gap in health care between Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore.
He has crossed the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel every few days while serving as health director of both communities.
But starting next month, the Virginia Beach native will give up his work in the that city to oversee rural medicine full time in Accomack and Northampton counties.
``Ever since I've been in training I've been interested in rural health care, and this is an opportunity for me to stay in eastern Virginia,'' Dickinson said.
While his duties will remain largely the same on the Eastern Shore, he will perform more hands-on clinical work. He also will be working with 73 full-time employees, compared with 112 in Virginia Beach.
``Rural areas have many of the same problems as in urban settings,'' Dickinson said. ``One of the biggest issues is access to care. That's part of the interest of mine, looking at the health care needs of that community.''
Dickinson's attraction to rural medicine began while he attended the University of Vermont. He later studied public health at Johns Hopkins University. In 1989 he practiced with a volunteer church-based group for four months in Nepal, where, he said, adequate health care is hard to obtain.
``I've always been drawn to areas of high need,'' he said.
When the chance came for him to help with the health care needs on the Eastern Shore full time, it was just what he was looking for. The move is consistent with goals he has had for three years, said Dickinson, who during the past year has spent 20 percent of his time on the Eastern Shore and 80 percent in Virginia Beach.
``(Eastern Shore's) rich in many ways, but there is the need for access to health services,'' he said.
Pierce Eichelberger, the health department's environmental manager on the Eastern Shore, said the staff is delighted to have Dickinson with them full time.
``His ability to work with people and his background will be an invaluable asset to his functioning as health director,'' Eichelberger said.
Dickinson came to Virginia Beach in 1992 after working at the federal Centers for Disease Control. As the state's health director in Virginia Beach, he said, he began serving the community and working with local government in preventive health services.
``There are huge public health needs in Virginia Beach,'' he said, ``and we've been trying to address those.''
One of his top priorities was reducing low birth weight in Virginia Beach babies. He helped develop a home-based nursing team to provide services such as dietary counseling, transportation and treatment for women with little access to health care.
Dickinson said he also helped develop a program to expand dental services to low-income schoolchildren. The program is scheduled to begin in January. Nearly 1,800 Virginia Beach students from kindergarten through seventh grade had never had a dental check-up, he said.
Another issue Dickinson has been involved in is child immunization.
``Only 58 percent of 2-year-olds in 1990 were estimated to be fully up to date on immunization, and we're trying to increase awareness,'' he said.
Suzanne Dandoy, a deputy commissioner of the Virginia Department of Health, has been named the new health director in Virginia Beach.
Dickinson said Dandoy is a perfect match for the city and will pick up where he left off.
He said his decision to leave Virginia Beach does not reflect on his relationship with the city.
``I've had close bonds with staff and local government . . . it's hard to walk away from that.'' ILLUSTRATION: Dr. Daniel J. Dickinson
by CNB