Pungo District Hospital | |
---|---|
Vidant Health | |
Geography | |
Location | Belhaven, North Carolina, United States |
Coordinates | 35°32′17″N76°37′24″W / 35.538053°N 76.623390°W Coordinates: 35°32′17″N76°37′24″W / 35.538053°N 76.623390°W |
History | |
Former name(s) | Vidant Pungo Hospital |
Opened | 1949 |
Closed | 2014 |
Links | |
Website | vidanthealth |
Lists | Hospitals in North Carolina |
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 in 2011, and closed in 2014.
The hospital opened in 1949. [1] It was initially operated by the Pungo District Hospital Corporation. [2]
The hospital had almost 57,000 square feet (5,300 m2) of space. [3]
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 and Medicare patients using the hospital. [1] In 2011 Vidant Health acquired the hospital, and PDHC was reformed into Pantego Creek LLC. [2]
In September 2013, [4] 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. [3] 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. [4]
Pantego Creek took possession of the hospital on March 17, and in June of that year Vidant closed the hospital. [5] The Pantego Creek Board agreed to the closure. [6]
Mayor Adam O'Neal advocated for spending $500,000 to buy the hospital buildings, but Pantego Creek chose not to sell it. [3] The hospital was demolished in 2016. [6] Vidant paid for the demolition. [5]
Vidant opened a non-emergency clinic in the area; [6] it opened in 2015 and is in operation for 24 hours per day. [5]
The NAACP criticized the hospital's closing. [7] 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 reported that personal relationships in Belhaven became frayed as a result of the hospital closing controversy. [8]
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 11,003. Its county seat is Plymouth. The county was formed in 1799 from the western third of Tyrrell County. It was named for George Washington.
Pitt County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 170,243, making it the fourteenth-most populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Greenville.
Hyde County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 4,589, making it the second-least populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Swan Quarter. The county was created in 1705 as Wickham Precinct. It was renamed Hyde Precinct in 1712 and gained county status in 1739.
Cumberland County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 334,508, making it the fifth-most populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Fayetteville. Cumberland County is part of the Fayetteville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Carteret County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 67,686. Its county seat is Beaufort. The county was created in 1722 as Carteret Precinct and gained county status in 1739. It was named for Sir George Carteret, one of the 17th century English Lords Proprietor, or for his descendant and heir John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville.
Beaufort County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 44,652. Its county seat is Washington. The county was founded in 1705 as Pamptecough Precinct. Originally included in Bath County, it was renamed Beaufort Precinct in 1712 and became Beaufort County in 1739.
Belhaven is a waterfront town in Beaufort County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 1,688 at the 2010 Census. Belhaven is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region.
Beaufort is a town in and the county seat of Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1713 and incorporated in 1723, Beaufort is the fourth oldest town in North Carolina . On February 1, 2012, Beaufort was ranked as "America's Coolest Small Town" by readers of Budget Travel Magazine.
U.S. Route 264 (US 264) is an east–west United States Highway located completely within the U.S. state of North Carolina, running for 215.7 miles (347.1 km). Its western terminus is located at Interstate 87 (I-87), I-440, and US 64 in Raleigh. US 264 is a freeway between Raleigh and Wilson, with segments running concurrently with I-87, I-587, I-795, and US 64. The highway is largely parallel to I-587 between Wilson and Greenville and primarily serves smaller communities such as Saratoga and Farmville. East of Greenville, US 264 is an important highway connecting communities such as Washington, Belhaven, Swan Quarter, and Engelhard. The eastern terminus of US 264 is located at US 64 in Manns Harbor.
The Norfolk Southern Railway(1881-1982) was the final name of a railroad that ran from Norfolk, Virginia, southwest and west to Charlotte, North Carolina. It was acquired by the Southern Railway in 1974, which merged with the Norfolk and Western Railway in 1982 to form the current Norfolk Southern Railway.
The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University (BSOM) is a public medical school located in Greenville, North Carolina, United States. It offers a Doctor of Medicine program, combined Doctor of Medicine / Master of Public Health and Doctor of Medicine / Master of Business Administration programs, and standalone Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Public Health programs. Brody is a national leader in family medicine, ranking No. 1 in North Carolina and No. 2 nationally in the percentage of graduates who choose careers in family medicine, based on the 2017 American Academy of Family Physicians report on MD-granting medical schools. Brody ranks in the top 10 percent of U.S. medical schools for graduating physicians who practice in the state, practice primary care and practice in rural and underserved areas. Brody graduates currently practice in 83 of North Carolina's 100 counties.
The Inner Banks is a neologism made up by developers and tourism promoters to describe the inland coastal region of eastern North Carolina. Without historical precedent, the term "Inner Banks" is an early 21st-century construct that is part of an attempt to rebrand the mostly agrarian coastal plain east of I-95 as a more attractive region for visitors and retirees.
North Carolina Highway 97 (NC 97) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina, connecting the cities of Zebulon and Rocky Mount with the vast rural coastal plains.
North Carolina Highway 99 (NC 99) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina in the central Coastal Plain region of the state. It runs from NC 92 and NC 306 east of Bath to NC 32 and NC 45 south of Plymouth. The highway serves the towns of Belhaven and Pantego. NC 99 also serves as a partial link between Bath, Belhaven and Plymouth. The highway primarily runs through rural regions of Beaufort County, Hyde County, and Washington County.
Eastern North Carolina is the region encompassing the eastern tier of North Carolina. It is known geographically as the state's Coastal Plain region. Primary subregions of Eastern North Carolina include the Sandhills, the Lower Cape Fear, the Crystal Coast, the Inner Banks and the Outer Banks. It is composed of the 41 most eastern counties in the state. Large cities include Greenville, Jacksonville, and Wilmington.
North Carolina Highway 92 (NC 92) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It runs through connecting Washington and Bath, entirely in Beaufort County
ECU 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 Health also includes wellness centers, home health and hospice services, a dedicated children's hospital, rehab facilities, pain management and wound healing centers and specialized cancer care. Their flagship hospital, ECU Health Medical Center, is a level I trauma center and serves as the teaching hospital for the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville.
North Carolina Highway 91 (NC 91) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina running from U.S. Route 13 (US 13), US 258, and NC 903 in Snow Hill to Interstate 587 (I-587) near Walstonburg, entirely in Greene County.