Monday, January 29, 2001

WILMINGTON, NC - Two area medical foundations announced the establishment of significant financial programs that will benefit current and future students enrolled in the UNC Wilmington School of Nursing at a luncheon today on the university campus.



The Cape Fear Memorial Foundation is contributing $50,000 to endow a scholarship at the university in honor of Dr. R.T. Sinclair, Jr., a founder of Cape Fear Memorial Hospital. The New Hanover Regional Medical Center Foundation is creating a scholarship loan program in honor of Dr. R. Bertram Williams, a founding member of New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC). The R. Bertram Williams Scholarship Loan Program will offer UNCW nursing students the opportunity to apply for a forgivable loan to cover tuition and fees. Upon graduation, students may repay the loan or work in the New Hanover Health Network for a defined period of time.

"The UNCW School of Nursing is very pleased to honor Drs. R. T. Sinclair and Bertram Williams, two visionaries in medical care," said Dr. Virginia Adams, dean of the nursing school. "In this era of nursing shortages and escalating costs for education, students who may have chosen nursing as a career are opting for other professions. To attract and retain the best students into the nursing profession, more financial assistance is needed. We graciously thank the Cape Fear Memorial Foundation and the New Hanover Regional Medical Center for creating the respective R.T. Sinclair Endowed Scholarship and the Bertram Williams Scholarship Loan Program."

"Creating the R.T. Sinclair, Jr. M.D. Scholarship will help others prepare for a life of service," said Garry Garris, president of the Cape Fear Memorial Foundation. "All who have worked with Dr. Sinclair can attest that he has been and continues to be a man of great inner strength, character and wisdom."

Sinclair possesses a quiet, caring nature and finds an effective way to intervene when help is most needed, said Garris. "It is not only for the many accomplishments of his life that we honor him today. It is for the way he has led and pushed us to a higher service to our fellow man."



Dr. R. Bertram Williams' vision for the potential of health care in this region has helped improve surgical services and built a cancer center as well as launched a foundation that has supported many other patient services, said Dr. William Atkinson, president and CEO of New Hanover Health Network.



"Through his efforts, the residents of Southeastern North Carolina can stay close to home for the medical care they need. It's entirely fitting that his name be attached to any effort that will ultimately improve patient care in this region."



Sinclair, a Wilmington native, earned a bachelor's degree from Wake Forest University and a medical degree from Georgetown University. Upon graduation, he worked at the Bullock Hospital which was located on Front Street in Wilmington. He started a family practice in Whiteville in 1939. During World War II, Sinclair commanded an Army field hospital. He attained the rank of major and earned five battle stars, a presidential citation and the Bronze Star. In 1957, Sinclair, along with Drs. William Mebane and Sam Pace, opened Cape Fear Memorial Hospital. The facility served the community for more than 40 years as a private hospital. It continues today as part of the New Hanover Health Network.



Williams, following medical school at UNC Chapel Hill and residency in surgery at Vanderbilt University, returned to his hometown of Wilmington in 1951. He established a medical practice and began a career in general surgery. He served as chair of the surgery department and operating room and president of the medical staff at James Walker Hospital. The hospital closed June 14, 1967, which was the same day New Hanover Memorial Hospital opened. At NHRMC, he was chair of the Intensive Care Unit, vice president of the medical staff for two terms and president for three terms from 1982 to 1985. Williams was also a two-term president of the New Hanover-Pender Medical Society. Williams, who organized and founded the New Hanover Regional Medical Center in 1991, also served 11 years on the New Hanover Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees. In 1999, he won the Faculty Alumni Distinguished Service Award from UNC Chapel Hill. Williams' leadership is credited with the growth of NHRMC into one of the top medical centers in southeastern North Carolina.



The New Hanover Regional Medical Center Foundation conducts fund-raising projects that benefit the hospital. One of the foundation's premier events, the Coastal Classic Celebrity Golf Tournament, has provided more than $1 million for such projects as cardiac rehabilitation, the Coastal Care van, a consumer health library and the Zimmer Cancer Center.



UNCW's School of Nursing offers the following degrees: Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Professional Nursing and a Master of Science (MSN) with a Family Nurse Practitioner Track. In addition, the RN ACCESS program offers a bachelor's degree to registered nurses. The school received $320,000 in federal funding to promote access to health care and education for rural and medically underserved populations in Southeastern North Carolina. Working in partnership with these rural communities, the school will operate the Navassa 5th District Rural Health Clinic. A similar clinic is planned for Bolton.