Vidant Beaufort Hospital officially broke ground Tuesday on its emergency department expansion, a two-phase project that’s expected to take almost two years.

The expansion involves a new 9,000-square-foot space, as well as a full renovation of the existing space. It will be the first expansion project since 1989, during which time the department’s patient load has nearly tripled.

A new and improved emergency department is a long-overdue change at Vidant Beaufort Hospital. As it stands now, there is simply not enough space to treat the amount of patients who come in, and privacy for those patients is often limited.

Since Vidant Health closed the former Pungo District Hospital in 2014, the patients who would’ve sought emergency treatment in Belhaven must now go to Washington or be airlifted to Greenville.

That is why this expansion is so important. For medical personnel to give proper treatment to an influx of patients, more resources are needed, and more space is needed. Vidant’s $17 million investment in Beaufort County’s hospital is a good thing and was certainly needed.

With the state of rural health care declining across America, it’s encouraging to see such an investment in a small city like Washington. All health resources should not move to Greenville. Residents should be able to access top-notch care right here at home.

Yes, Beaufort County is large geographically and its residents spread apart by the Pamlico River, but many rural counties do not even have the luxury of a hospital within their borders. All parties involved should continue to acknowledge the value of Washington’s hospital and ensure its success for decades to come.

The people of Beaufort County deserve it, not to mention residents of Hyde County, whose closest options are Washington, New Bern or Nags Head.

If there is one thing vital to the success of an area, it’s the health of its residents. That should always be a top priority.