Rural Health Board Member Given National Award for Community Service
Dr. Betty Bibbins Recognized for her Can Do Spirit
The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) has honored Betty B. Bibbins, MD, BSN, former board president of Eastern Shore Rural Health System Inc., with the 2024 Ethel Bond Memorial Consumer Award. The Awards of Excellence are given annually to individuals in the Community Health Center Movement who are innovators in health care delivery, set higher standards for patient care and quality, and have demonstrated leadership and advocacy that advances community health needs. Dr. Bibbins was presented the award during NACHC’s 2024 Community Health Institute (CHI) & Expo in Atlanta, GA on Aug. 18.
Bibbins was nominated for the award by Eastern Shore Rural Health. “She has been a dedicated board member and president who is active in the Community Health Center Movement. She remains a tireless advocate on the local, state and national level,” said Rural Health Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joan Lingen. “When Bibbins is confronted with challenges, she has been known to say, tell me why you think we can’t do something so that I can help you figure out HOW we can do it!”
The National Association of Community Health Centers is a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance and expand access to high-quality, community-responsive health care for America's medically underserved and uninsured populations. Eastern Shore Rural Health is a community health center.
Dr. Bibbins is a Portsmouth, VA, native who trained as a nurse and attended medical school and completed an Obstetrics and Gynecology residency. After relocation to the Eastern Shore with her husband, Shore native Dr. Paul Bibbins, she saw evidence of significant health and socioeconomic disparities. She then became determined to focus her time and energies in addressing local equity, diversity, and inclusion concerns. Upon learning of Rural Health’s mission to provide comprehensive affordable, high quality, accessible medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare to all who work, live, and visit the Eastern Shore, Dr. Bibbins joined the Board in 2018.
: Eastern Shore Rural Health Board Member Dr. Betty Bibbins recently was awarded the 2024 Ethel Bond Memorial Consumer Award by the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) in recognition of her leadership and support of the Community Health Center movement. Pictured left to right are: NACHC Chair of the Board Paloma Hernandez, Dr. Bibbins and NACHC President and CEO Dr. Kyu Rhee.