Gail Covington, a family nurse practitioner on Ocracoke, will retire at the end of December.
She made the decision after learning that her supervising physician also is retiring.
In North Carolina, nurse practitioners must have a supervising physician, and they can take 10 to 20 percent of her patient fees.
Her physician has not taken a fee, and a new one probably would, she said.
“And I don’t want to pass that on to my patients,” she said in a recent letter to them. “I’m definitely sorry to leave people on the lower Outer Banks without health care, especially after hours.”
Ocracoke nurse-practitioner receives state’s highest honor
In 2019, Covington was among the recipients of The Order of the Long Leaf Pine award, bestowed on persons who have made significant contributions to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments.
Covington’s practice is Island Mobile Clinic.
As such, she travels to anyone’s home or business for consultation and treatment from Avon to Ocracoke—perhaps the most remote areas in the state.
