GREENVILLE — The NC NAACP says it will exercise civil disobedience if Vidant Pungo Hospital is demolished and the organization announced an investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at a press conference in Greenville on Wednesday.

At the press conference, NC NAACP President Rev. Dr. William Barber and Belhaven Mayor Adam O’Neal said they have received indication that Pantego Creek, LLC, who now owns the hospital property, plans to demolish the building. Both said they are concerned the hospital could be torn down before the investigation comes to an end.

The NC NAACP and the town hosted classes on Thursday night to instruct residents on how to exercise nonviolent civil disobedience, according to O’Neal. Civil Rights activist Bob Zellner, who accompanied O’Neal on most of his walk to the nation’s capital, will lead the classes.

Barber said U.S. HHS has opened a full investigation on the closing of the hospital under the 1964 Civil Rights Act, and based on O’Neal’s meeting with Congressman G.K. Butterfield, Congressional field hearings may be opened in Belhaven.

“Butterfield indicated that they are very much considering bringing Congressional field hearings to Belhaven,” Barber said. “We’re calling for the Civil Rights division under the Attorney General’s office to file an injunction. We’re considering the possibility of filing an injunction in court right here in North Carolina.”

O’Neal echoed Barber’s comment regarding HHS and said the situation in Belhaven is one happening all around the nation.

“They look at this situation as maybe a turning point for rural hospitals,” O’Neal said. “All across this country, rural hospitals are starting to close or are on the brink of closing. What we are hoping to do is bring attention to that and to stop that from taking place.”

O’Neal recently returned from his 272-mile trek to Washington, D.C., which demonstrated his advocacy for rural healthcare and his opposition to the closing of Vidant Pungo Hospital on July 1. In the nation’s capital, O’Neal and Barber held a rally for rural healthcare and for the hospital’s closing.

“The walk was very successful,” O’Neal said. “I was very, very happy with the meeting at Congressman Butterfield’s office. He seems to have a commitment to helping us in this situation.”

During the press conference, Vidant Health issued a statement, announcing new updates in services and leadership at the 24/7-care clinic in Belhaven, which serves the town and its surrounding communities. The release said, since July 1, the clinic has served nearly 400 patients and offers primary and urgent care.

“We want Belhaven and the surrounding communities to know that Vidant is here to stay,” said Roger Robertson, president of Vidant Community Hospitals. “We are open 24/7 for patients with medical needs, and our trained team of doctors, nurses and staff continue to provide the highest quality of care to the patients they see.”

The release said Vidant continues to move forward with its plans to build a new 12,000-square-foot, $4.2 million multispecialty clinic in the town to address the long-term healthcare needs of the community. The organization has filed for the building permit with the town, and once approvals are finalized, Vidant will immediately begin construction with plans to open the facility within 12 to 18 months.