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| You might think that you’ve left the best part of your life behind you. Perhaps you’ve reached the 60-year mark and you’ve started to notice some new aches and pains. Maybe you’ve retired and you’re not quite sure what to do with yourself these days. In this issue of SeniorHealth we have highlighted four local seniors who are carrying their weight and much more. They have set their “after 60 sights” high and are making a difference, both in their own lives and in the lives of many people in Hampton Roads. |
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 Sister Rita Thomas has been with the Bon Secours Health System — the largest health system in the country — for over 50 years. She has been instrumental in the development of health care services in Hampton Roads, where Bon Secours operates Maryview Medical Center (Ports-mouth), Mary Immaculate Hospital (Newport News), and Depaul Medical Center (Norfolk). “Health care is not just a business,” she says, “but a ministry to help all those in need.”
Sister Rita originally came to Hampton Roads from Florida in 1980 as the interim administrator of Maryview Hospital. She was asked to return to Maryview two years later at the age of 62 (when most of us would be thinking of retirement). She was largely responsible for the tremendous growth of Bon Secours Hampton Roads in the last two decades. Her expertise and her special touch have been felt in the strategic planning of the Ambulatory Surgery & Diagnostic Center at Harbour View, the expansion of outpatient services at Mary Immaculate Hospital, and the future Virginia Beach Project.
So now, at the age of 80, is Sister Rita retiring? Not at all! Rather, she is “re-engaged” in life. “The word ’retire’ has the connotation of passivity,” she says. She believes that all people should stay dynamic and active, even in their later years. Now Sister Rita finds herself more engaged than ever with the Sisters of Bon Secours’ mission — helping people in need. She is on the Board of Directors for Bon Secours Hampton Roads and many other boards including Charity Hospital in New York. She is involved in a myriad of projects including a national program with the Sisters of Mercy to provide housing for those in need, the Medication Access Program of Portsmouth, and the Portsmouth Community Health Center, just to name a few.
If you are lucky enough to live in Sister Rita’s neighborhood, you will see her taking daily walks with her darling dogs Molly and Elle. She is a believer in exercise, not only for the body, but also for the mind and spirit. She lives by her convictions and inspires all of us to do the same. |
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