Pungo District Hospital, known for a period as Vidant Pungo Hospital, was a hospital in Belhaven, North Carolina. It opened in 1949, was acquired by

Vidant Health ECU Health (formerly Vidant Health) is a not-for-profit, 1,447-bed hospital system that serves more than 1.4 million people in 29 Eastern North Carolina counties. The health system is made up of nine hospitals and more than 12,000 employees. ECU H ...

in 2011, and closed in 2014.

History

The hospital opened in 1949. It was initially operated by the Pungo District Hospital Corporation. The hospital had almost of space.

Closure

The operator, asked for a third party to acquire the hospital as the operator could not pay for the care of the large number of

Medicaid Medicaid in the United States is a federal and state program that helps with healthcare costs for some people with limited income and resources. Medicaid also offers benefits not normally covered by Medicare, including nursing home care and pers ...

and Medicare patients using the hospital. In 2011

acquired the hospital, and PDHC was reformed into Pantego Creek LLC. In September 2013, Vidant stated that it was unable to keep the hospital in operation due to poor finances and announced that it was going to close the hospital. Vidant cited that it would have had to spend additional funds on renovations to continue operation of the older hospital building and that it was operating the hospital at a loss. A group opposed to the closing a hospital had a January 2014 assessment commissioned by a hospital management company determined that in order to keep the hospital running would require for Vidant to give away for free all of the hospital assets to Pantego Creek, as well as a loan for $9,250,000 and an additional $3,000,000 in cash. While Vidant was willing to give the hospital itself to Pantego Creek, it did not agree to also give away the assets, and Pantego Creek did not have the ability to get the loan. In addition, Pantego Creek did not have the sufficient funds to keep the hospital running. Pantego Creek took possession of the hospital on March 17, and in June of that year Vidant closed the hospital. The Pantego Creek Board agreed to the closure. Mayor Adam O'Neal advocated for spending $500,000 to buy the hospital buildings, but Pantego Creek chose not to sell it. The hospital was demolished in 2016. Vidant paid for the demolition. Vidant opened a non-emergency clinic in the area; it opened in 2015 and is in operation for 24 hours per day. The

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

criticized the hospital's closing. O'Neal also criticized the closing and held marches to Washington, DC, and he began facing political opposition due to his activism as there were residents who were afraid that his activism was too aggressive and would cause Vidant to cancel its proposed clinic in Belhaven. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' reported that personal relationships in Belhaven became frayed as a result of the hospital closing controversy.

References

External links

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IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF NORTH CAROLINA No. COA 16 - 373 Filed: 15 November 2016 Beaufort County, No. 14 CVS 697 TOWN OF BELHAVEN, NC; and THE NORTH CAROLINA NAACP STATE CONFERENCE OF BRANCHES, THE HYDE COUNTY NAACP BRANCH, and THE BEAUFORT COUNTY NAACP BRANCH, Plaintiffs, v. PANTEGO CREEK, LLC; and VIDANT HEALTH, INC., Defendants.
{{authority control Buildings and structures in Beaufort County, North Carolina Hospitals in North Carolina Defunct hospitals in North Carolina Hospitals established in 1949 1949 establishments in North Carolina 2014 disestablishments in North Carolina Hospitals disestablished in 2014 Buildings and structures demolished in 2016 Demolished buildings and structures in North Carolina