01/25/2026
Honoring a Legacy That Still Cares for Our Community
In the early 1950s, the Taylor family began construction of what would become a cornerstone of healthcare in Down East North Carolina. Built with the simple but powerful purpose of caring for neighbors close to home, the hospital in Sea Level has served generations of Carteret County families through many chapters of change.
Today, that same building continues its mission under Integrated Care of Greater Hickory, providing inpatient behavioral health services for the region and across North Carolina. Our lobby is now proudly dedicated to the Taylor family, featuring archived photographs, newspaper clippings, and memorabilia—some rediscovered by our own staff during renovation—preserving the history that shaped this place.
Last year, the Taylor Family Foundation generously donated $15,000 to support campus beautification, including our residential courtyard garden off the dining hall and comfort items that make our patients feel more at home. This year, their continued commitment includes a $10,000 gift to furnish our renovated Adolescent Wing, expanding crisis stabilization, detox, and residential services for children and youth.
This is Down East culture at its best: honoring the past, caring for family, and investing in the future of the community. We are deeply grateful to the Taylor family for ensuring that a vision begun more than 70 years ago continues to heal, support, and restore hope in Sea Level and beyond.