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Beebe’s first OB/GYN still giving back

September 4, 2019

Dr. Elvira Pamintuan was the first female doctor to practice obstetrics and gynecology at Beebe Healthcare. She began traveling back and forth to Beebe from her main practice in Seaford in the 1970s. 

“It only took me a half-hour to travel to Lewes from Seaford. Back then, the trucks carrying chickens were the only traffic I encountered,” Dr. Pamintuan said with a laugh.

Drs. Elvira and Jose Pamintuan are members of Beebe Medical Foundation’s 1916 Club, the leadership annual giving society. They recently made a gift in memory of Dr. Vincent Killeen and Dr. James Beebe Jr., who both were important to Dr. Pamintuan when she practiced at Beebe.

“Dr. Beebe gave me space in the operating room and was always kind and supportive, and Dr. Killeen was always happy to watch over my patients when I had to drive back to Seaford,” said Dr. Pamintuan, who finally purchased a condo in Lewes to serve as her on-call space for deliveries.

The gift was also made in honor of the nurses who were so supportive to her when she practiced at Beebe.

“I had never worked at a place where the nurses were so kind and exemplary in the care they provided,” she said. “I think part of the reason is the affiliated nursing school providing students with hands-on experience. In fact, I have recommended Beebe’s Margaret H. Rollins School of Nursing to many young patients who wanted to begin a career in healthcare. I highly regard the nursing care and the culture of caring at Beebe. ”

She and her husband, Dr. Jose Pamintuan, a cardiologist, raised their five children in Seaford. She delivered her final Beebe baby in 1994 and kept her gynecology practice in Seaford until 2016. She and her husband, now both retired, live full time in Lewes.

“I have come to appreciate the nurses, and the role they play in a patient’s recovery, more so since my husband has been a patient numerous times at Beebe,” said Dr. Elvira.

The couple, originally from the Philippines, met in Philadelphia in the 1960s when he was a fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and she was training at Philadelphia General Hospital. Dr. Jose was at Hahnemann Hospital when he was recruited to practice at Nanticoke in 1970. While there, he created Nanticoke’s ICU and CICU departments, and Dr. Elvira later became chief of the OB/GYN Department.

As a community-based, not-for-profit healthcare system, Beebe depends on the generous donations made by individuals, businesses, corporations and private foundations. All size gifts to Beebe are welcome and tax-deductible. Please consider making a gift today and sharing your story with our community. To make a donation or learn more about Celebrate Excellent Care, go to www.beebemedicalfoundation.org, call Beebe Medical Foundation at 302-644-2900 or email foundation@beebehealthcare.org.

 

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