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Donation will benefit nursing clinics and new Orthotics and Prosthetics Program

JOHNSON CITY – Norma Osborne Fadial, a 1961 alumna of East Tennessee State University’s College of Nursing, has designated an estate gift of $1.35 million that will go to the university to support patient care at its nursing clinics and a new Orthotics and Prosthetics Program.
Fadial has designated 90% of her gift to support the College of Nursing’s clinics that provide care to the homeless, uninsured and under-insured. The remaining 10% will go toward the ETSU College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences to support its new Master of Science in Orthotics and Prosthetics that is currently in development and slated to begin in summer 2022, pending necessary approvals and accreditation requirements.
Fadial recently retired after a fulfilling 42-year career in health care that has taken her all over the globe. Early in her career, she worked for the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, where she took part in research. She also worked in public health in Nigeria following the country’s civil war. She spent part of her career working with Fillauer (now Fillauer LLC) in Chattanooga, a global provider of prosthetics and orthotics solutions.
Although she has traveled around the world and now lives in Tampa, Florida, Fadial grew up in Kingsport and wanted to contribute to the region that she considers home.
“I am a true product of Appalachia and am so proud of that,” said Fadial. “Many people get so busy in their lives, and you can tend to forget where you came from and how you got there. It’s important to remember these things. I look back and am so grateful to ETSU for the life experiences I have had.
“It is deeply rewarding to contribute to education; this is important whether you are a nurse, a teacher, or in any other career.”
Fadial’s gift will benefit the College of Nursing’s nurse-managed clinics including the Johnson City Community Health Center, Johnson City Downtown Day Center, Hancock County School-Based Health Centers, Mountain City Extended Hours Health Center and the University Health Center.
“I am very honored by Ms. Fadial’s generosity and am so glad that I have had the privilege to know her and her late husband, Fred,” said Dr. Wendy Nehring, dean of the College of Nursing. “Not only does the ETSU College of Nursing educate future nurses for our region, but we also serve patients throughout the Appalachian Highlands. Her gift will allow our community-based health centers to continue providing health care to some of the most vulnerable populations in our region, while continuing our tradition of offering high-quality nursing education.”
In addition to supporting the well-established work of the nursing clinics, Fadial’s gift will also have an impact on a new program at ETSU.
“We are so grateful that Ms. Fadial recognizes the important education need that ETSU is filling with the development of our new Orthotics and Prosthetics Program and has chosen to designate part of her gift to this exciting work,” said Dr. Don Samples, dean of the College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences.
This gift supports the Campaign for ETSU. The goal of the Campaign for ETSU is to raise $120 million by 2022. To date, the university has raised $84 million.
To learn more about how you can support the Campaign for ETSU, call 423-439-4242.