To the Editor,
In reference to recent media attention regarding the “Save the Hospital” efforts, our family would like to express our unwavering support for the Pungo Medical Center LLC and to the dedicated residents of Belhaven who are holding vigil over the hospital. Our father, Dr. Charles O. Boyette, dedicated his life to ensuring healthcare stability in Belhaven and the surrounding areas. It is saddening beyond words to see a few individuals attempt to halt access to emergency healthcare, economic progress and a clear path to the future of Belhaven.
Belhaven is our hometown and we are proud of it. We all grew up there and return often to visit. When our father passed away in March, the town and surrounding communities came together and showed our family an outpouring of love and support. We heard many heartfelt stories of how our Dad had been one family’s physician for over 50 years. We were reminded how he and other medical professionals saved countless lives at the former Pungo District Hospital. We heard about hunting accidents, boating accidents, child birth, heart attacks, diabetic episodes, etc., in which individuals would have died had they not received emergency room care at the hospital. We remember many of these incidents like they were yesterday as we spent too many hours to count waiting outside the emergency room growing up as our father worked tirelessly to save lives. He, and everyone else who worked at the hospital, always put the lives of the citizens of Beaufort and Hyde counties above everything else. These people would not have lived if they had to be transported miles away to Washington or Greenville before first receiving emergency room care in Belhaven. A clinic cannot provide the same level of services — period.
Now is the time to act. The town of Belhaven has an amazing opportunity to once again offer comprehensive healthcare, employ citizens, stimulate the town’s economy, and set a precedent for rural hospitals across America to remain open and viable. Not only would the hospital offer medical services to the surrounding communities not currently available, but it has been given the opportunity to serve veterans too. Its beautiful location on the water is ideal for rehabilitation. The comments we’ve read, such as “using veterans as pawns,” couldn’t be further from the truth. As a family of veterans who have served our country in times of peace and war, and worked in Veteran Affairs (VA) healthcare systems, we know firsthand the benefits of these needed services. Cherryl is a retired and war-decorated U.S. Air Force officer who deployed to Iraq during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM and personally knows the agony of war on and off the battlefield. Carla is a recreation therapist at the VA Medical Center in Charleston, SC, and works with veterans on a daily basis. We understand the impact a positive, healing environment has on veterans, as well as the success of alternative and therapeutic activities such as kayaking and swimming, which Belhaven is perfectly matched for. With its beautiful waterfront setting and southern hospitality, Belhaven is an ideal place for veterans to recover and focus on healing away from the stress of the battlefield and other sterile, less peaceful settings.
Rural America is watching. This is an issue in other small towns across the country too. Belhaven would not be ridiculed, but applauded, and serve as an example to other rural hospitals to remain viable. It’s about healing. It’s about reviving the community we grew up in and care about. It’s about seizing an incredible opportunity to move to a brighter future. The town of Belhaven, the surrounding communities, and so many veterans could only benefit from reopening the hospital. It is a crucial time and we watch anxiously with hope and pride for our hometown. To demolish the hospital or stand in opposition of providing needed services is a step backwards. Let’s save the hospital and proudly serve as a model for rural healthcare together.

Sincerely,
The family of Dr. Charles O. Boyette
Cherryl, Carla, Chuck and Marie