Wise, Va-.

Dr. Teresa Owens Gardner, executive director and nurse practitioner with the Health Wagon, received the Daily Point of Light Award from President George H. W. Bush in May. President Bush created the “Daily Point of Light Award” in 1989 to recognize ordinary Americans from all walks of life taking direct and consequential voluntary action in their communities to solve serious social problems.

Dr. Gardner feels deeply flattered to be chosen as a Daily Point of Light honoree. She has dedicated her life the last twenty two years creating avenues for health care access for the medically underserved in Southwest Virginia. She is also responsible for bringing the Remote Area Medical (RAM) Health Expedition to the area. RAM is the largest medical outreach in the nation. Teresa is a life-long resident of Coeburn and has four children, Ashton, Tyler, Kaylee and Brent.

President Bush devotes attention to voluntary service as a means of solving some of America’s most serious social problems. In The Points of Light Movement: The President’s Report to the Nation, President Bush wrote, “Points of Light are the soul of America. They are ordinary people who reach beyond themselves to touch the lives of those in need, bringing hope and opportunity, care and friendship. By giving so generously of themselves, these remarkable individuals show us not only what is best in our heritage but what all of us are called to become.”

The Health Wagon is a nurse managed mobile unit that delivers free health care to the residents in Southwest Virginia. For additional information, please contact the Health Wagon at 276-328-8850. See more at: https://thehealthwagon.org