Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Could someone please explain to me why this Hospital should stay open? From what I've seen Vidant has been in the right and been as diplomatic as possible.
Beaufort County is one of 19 counties with more than one hospital (Buncombe, Brunswick, Catawba, Cleveland, Cumberland, Davidson, Durham, Forsyth, Guilford, Henderson, Iredell, Macon, Mecklenburg, Nash, Richmond, Rockingham, Surry, Wake).
Yet their population including Hyde County is ~53k. They're less than 30 minutes from Washington. They don't deserve or need a hospital anymore.
It benefits Hyde County more because of the distance people have to go in an emergency. Victims of car wrecks, heart attacks and other medical emergencies have to travel an hour or more for assistance, and a good deal of serious emergencies at Beaufort County's hospital are subsequently transferred to Greenville, further delaying treatment. Does Belhaven need a full-scale hospital? No. Is a clinic enough to save lives in an emergency? No. Is there a cost-effective alternative that will help people who live in one of the state's most desolated areas? Probably not. It seems to be a no-win situation.
Instead of a full blown hospital just base a helicopter there and fly the people who need immediate help to Greenville. If they are that bad off they probably would have had to come here anyway. From there the helicopter would have fairly immediate access to New Bern, Oriental, and the 64 corridor as well (to amortize it even more). I say this not knowing how much it costs to equip and operate a helicopter but I just can't imagine it's close to what it costs to keep a 24/7/365 facility operating.
I feel bad for the citizens of Belhaven because they DID have a hospital and now it's gone, but the problem is that it's pretty much only the citizens of Belhaven who feel that way. The rest of Beaufort County realized they're paying for Hyde County's hospital if it stays open. It can also be pointed out that Aurora and northern Pamlico County are in the same situation but have no shot at ever getting a hospital.
They are still planning the 24/7 clinic in Belhaven, but it would honestly make more sense to open it in Swan Quarter or Fairfield.
The replacement clinic Vidant has planned includes a heli-pad for true emergencies, but I don't think the helicopter will be based there. It will have to fly from Greenville and then back, so still not a really good solution for time-is-of-the-essence situations.
I meant to actually base a helicopter in western Beaufort/eastern Hyde/northern Craven (somewhere around the sound) for faster response. Again though I don't know if that's even viable compared to a hospital with them building the clinic.
My understanding is that Pungo had about 100 employees...Belhaven is a town of 2,000. That's why they are fighting it...closing the hospital meant jobs would go away. A clinic that employs 1/4 of the employees will do the job just fine, IMO.
As for Hyde County...it was already a half hour to an hour for most Hyde County residents to get to Belhaven...it just went up by 30 minutes. Vidant should just put another clinic there (say the High School) to serve that population. Maybe that one only needs 15-20 employees.
So Vidant can serve the population with half the employees and still have good proximity. I don't think this was handled the best, but there isn't anyone who can really argue that a Hospital that floods in Belhaven is a reasonable thing to keep open for the long term....that is, I guess, except for their crazy Mayor.
According to the Acute Care Bed Need Projections, Vidant Pungo is projected to have an Average Daily Census of 3 in 2016. In other words, they would have THREE inpatients a day!
They simply don't have the need. I understand there could be concern over losing a lot of jobs, but sorry! Propping them up like that is nothing more than a type of corporate welfare.
Kind of like Sam Kinison's take on World Hunger, "Get out of the desert and go to where the food is." If you are having health problems, or having health problems solved is a priority, live where there is a hospital. It is so so simple.
If you want to live in an isolated area, that is fine, your right, but if you live a long way from the hospital, well, that is your choice.
My wife used to work at Bald Head Island, about the time that the original investors/owners were being "called home." Many family members, lamented, to excess, the lack of a bridge, thus slowing immensely transport of ill homeowners.
Where is Sam when you need him? "If you want a bridge to the mainland, don't live on an island" Thus proving again, that most rich are pretty stupid.
New Bern was not my first choice, but it rose to number one when considering all factors, including health care and access to it.
You can't fix stupid.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
