Playing game where they hold all the cards | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: This post, by Betty Murphy, originally appeared in the County Compass online edition.

    Vidant Health, officially known as University Health Systems, is no stranger to closing rural medical facilities. Since 2010 Vidant Health has closed three medical clinics in the following counties: Dare, Pitt and Beaufort. Apparently these three clinics were not making enough money to satisfy Vidant.

    Now Vidant is closing Pungo Hospital in Belhaven. Pungo was the last hospital acquired by Vidant in 2011 and now the first Vidant hospital to be shut down.

    THEN (2010)

    In 2010, Hatteras Medical Center (Dare) was one of two Vidant clinics located on the Outer Banks. Only 18 miles separated the Hatteras Clinic from the Avon Clinic but Hatteras Clinic was the closest clinic to Ocracoke Island residents. Living on an island reached only by ferry, a trip to Hatteras Clinic could take more than an hour (ferry runs every half hour in the summer and hourly in the winter). During the high season, both clinics experienced increased patient load.

    In July of 2010, Vidant informed Dare County Officials that it was not financially feasible to continue operating both clinics. One had to go. But which one?

    Among the choices offered by Vidant: Find a new health system or increase the subsidy payment to $300,000 to keep both clinics open. Even if one or both clinics continued, Vidant planned to reduce the facility's after- hours nursing care.

    Many discussions were held by Dare County officials and the general public as the months passed. Finally, Vidant announced that the Hatteras Clinic would be shut down by December 31, 2010.

    This decision to close the Hatteras Clinic was puzzling to county officials and residents as Vidant was operating not only rent free, but the county was paying some utilities and upkeep.

    The Hatteras Clinic was located on property owned by the National Park Service, deeded to Dare County years ago with the provision that if the property were ever used for anything other than health care, the land reverts back to the Park Service.

    NOW (2014)

    Hatteras residents did not give up. They formed a private, non-profit community based corporation. Their determination and hard work was rewarded last year. The new (non-Vidant) Hatteras Village Medical Center opened its doors in November 2013. Hats off to Hatteras residents!

    THEN (2012)

    In 2012, the only healthcare clinic located in Bethel (Pitt County) was closed on Sept. 1,2012. The Bethel Family Medicine Center was operated by the ECU Brody School of Medicine (BSOM), which is affiliated with Vidant. Due to an aging facility and other financial losses, operating the clinic was no longer profitable. ECU announced that closing the clinic would save them money.

    To soften the blow, ECU relocated the doctor and three staff members to the new ECU Family Medicine Center in Greenville. For many patients the new facility might just have well been on the moon. ECU suggested that patients could use public transportation. Apparently the fact that there is no public transportation available to Bethel was overlooked. With a "Build it and they will come" attitude, how did ECU expect elderly patients to get there?

    The new ECU Family Medicine Center opened September 2011 at an approximate cost of $38.1 million. More than $36 million was appropriated by the General Assembly. The new Family Medicine Center has 52 exam rooms plus another 12 exam rooms in the geriatric center. It has sports medicine, minor surgery, medical procedure and urgent care clinical areas. Administrative staff members also have offices at the center.

    Vidant is playing a game where they hold all the cards. Their game rules change from one meeting to the next. They are consistently inconsistent. Vidant owns the game, writes the rules, and you can take it or leave it.

    As a town, Bethel had been struggling to meet the needs of their residents. Like many rural towns in North Carolina, some residents have lived in Bethel their entire lives as did their ancestors. The majority of the clinic's caseload are elderly, cannot drive, and cost of transportation is prohibitive.

    With less than 90 days notice, Bethel residents banded together and swung into action holding town meetings and prayer vigils in an effort to stop the closing on Sept. 1, 2012. These Pitt county residents were left out in the cold.

    NOW (2014)

    The following year 2013 the town of Bethel reopened the town health clinic which is staffed by a team of non-Vidant employees from the Greenville Healthcare Center.

    THEN (2011)

    Innerbankx Urgent Care facility's fate was determined by being too close (within walking distance) to Beaufort County Hospital. It was acquired along with the hospital. Almost all local physicians and their practices have been gobbled up by Vidant. Don't bother to try to find the name of your physician on the roadside signage, all doctors' names have been removed.

    NOW (2014)

    The building is now occupied by a Vidant physician.