History

In 1977, Whittaker Memorial Hospital in Newport News, Virginia, initiated a community effort to expand primary health care services in the “East End” section of Newport News by establishing a community health center that would be primarily funded by the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare (DHEW), under section 330, Title III, of the Public Health Service Act.

Instead of the hospital applying for the federal funding, a group of concerned citizens submitted the application; after which a 13-member, consumer-dominated board of directors was created to run what was known as East End Health Services Delivery Project (EEHSDP). The group was awarded a little over $194,000 to establish the community health center.  After much planning and hard work over a six-month period, the project changed its name to the Peninsula Institute for Community Health (PICH).