Wilmington Health celebrates 50th anniversary

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — An area medical facility is celebrating it’s golden anniversary. Thursday, Wilmington Health hit the 50 year mark.

Founders and current officials gathered at the Medical Center Drive location to celebrate. The founders who attended recounted memories of when they, as Chapel Hill graduates with military medical experience first opened the doors.

Since then it has expanded to 21 locations. According to founder, Daniel Gottovi, it all started at a beer keg.

“Norm and I were standing at the beer keg drawing a beer, and he didn’t know what he was going to do in the next year, and I didn’t either,” Gottovi remembered. “And over the weekend, I wrote out a little plan of how we might form a group practice. I couldn’t wait to find him on Monday morning to show him my idea on coming to Wilmington and establishing what became Wilmington Health.”

“I’m really looking forward to the next 50 years to see what we can do,” said CEO, Jeff James, “to see what the next generation of physicians can do, and just how far we can move health care in this region and benefit the communities we serve.”