BELHAVEN — Construction crews working on the 24-hour, multispecialty Vidant clinic in Belhaven made large strides toward completion over the past five to six months.

The clinic is on schedule to start seeing patients as early as June, according to Dr. Mark Rumans, chief medical officer at Vidant Health.

Rumans said the clinic is one step toward “ensuring that the people in Belhaven and the surrounding communities have access to high-quality care for the long-term, sustainable needs of the community.”

“When it opens, the new 12,000-square-foot facility will provide a wide range of preventive health services, including annual physicals and screenings,” he said.

The facility will offer primary and immediate care, along with labs and X-ray technology. Although it will be open 24 hours a day, the clinic will not be used for emergency services, but will feature a helipad to transfer patients to a hospital when needed.

Vidant’s construction of the clinic has been a point of contention among residents in Belhaven, including those who feel Vidant Health was wrong to close Belhaven’s Vidant Pungo Hospital in July 2014. Mayor Adam O’Neal has openly expressed his disapproval of the clinic, saying instead the town needs its hospital reopened.

But Vidant officials are adamant that they remain invested in the Belhaven community, which they feel is represented by the construction of the $5.5-million-dollar clinic.

Rumans said in a previous interview that the medical organization plans to combine Belhaven’s four smaller clinics now in operation under one roof at the new facility.

He said residents will also have access to Vidant MyChart, which is an online portal where patients can access their medical records.

“Patients will be able to access follow-up care, request appointments and keep their health information up to date,” Rumans said. “In the meantime, Vidant continues to see nearly 100 patients a day between the three family physician practices and at our 24/7 office in downtown Belhaven.”