Belhaven, N.C., lost the fight to reopen Pungo District Hospital, the town's only hospital, when demolition began Wednesday evening, The News & Observer reported.
The hospital was taken over by Greenville, N.C.-based Vidant Health in 2011 in an effort to keep the hospital open amid financial troubles. Vidant decided to close the hospital in 2014 and replace it with a 24-hour clinic, according to the report. However, the clinic doesn't accept ambulances and patients must travel for an hour to reach the nearest emergency room, The News & Observer reported.
The town has been fighting to reopen the hospital, and Mayor Adam O'Neal has even marched more than 700 miles to Washington, D.C., and the state capital in an attempt to save Pungo. Mr. O'Neal has worked with activist groups, including the NAACP, to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to try to repurchase the hospital.
Mr. O'Neal's group has been unsuccessful in attempts to acquire Pungo District Hospital, but secured a temporary restraining order that stopped demolition. The pro-hospital group sought a preliminary injunction to protect the facility more permanently, but a judge denied the request Wednesday and dissolved the restraining order, according to the report.
Demolition began at 5 p.m. Wednesday evening.
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