Med school sprouts from tobacco fields

No one envisioned a sprawling medical center in Greenville when East Carolina University began its quest for a medical school 40 years ago. Since then, the medical school has transformed Pitt County Memorial Hospital and the region. Not only did the school boost healthcare in Greenville--now there are about 500 doctors and 1,200 nurses on the hospital staff alone--but it also fostered a far-reaching regional healthcare system serving 1.2 million people in 29 eastern North Carolina counties.