Construction has officially begun on Vidant Health’s 24-hour multispecialty clinic in Belhaven.

Dr. Mark Rumans, chief medical officer for Vidant Health, said the 12,000-square foot, $4.2 million-dollar facility will bring Vidant staff and services currently serving in four separate clinics in Belhaven together under one roof.

He said the construction is expected to be complete next summer, possibly in late May or early June. The medical facility will offer primary and immediate care as well as physical therapy, labs, X-ray machines and a helipad to transport patients to a hospital.

“I think (many residents) have been excited to see the groundbreaking,” Rumans said. “It really shows our continued commitment to the community there in Belhaven.”

The clinic’s construction comes one year after the controversial closure of Vidant Pungo Hospital in Belhaven. The issues surrounding the closure, including the more than 100 jobs lost and the town’s attempts to reopen the hospital, have sharply divided the residents.

Mayor Adam O’Neal said, he thinks the clinic will be another way for Vidant to cut costs and possibly reduce the staff.

“They are simply combining the four clinics into one in order to save more money,” he said. “It is not of great benefit to Belhaven. We need a hospital and they know that.”

O’Neal said, he doesn’t think the clinic will provide adequate medical care for Belhaven residents, as it will not offer services like that of an emergency room.

“The 24-hour aspect of it is only agreed to for three years and then Vidant says they will rearrange the hours to what is needed,” he said.

Dr. Charles Boyette, a longtime Belhaven physician who heads up one of the four clinics in the town, said he is appreciative for a healthcare facility for residents but that it is not enough.

“It’s going to be a very modern and functional clinic for us. However, I still remain very disappointed that we lost our hospital,” he said. “We have an elderly and poor patient population in this area, and it’s difficult for them … to travel 30 to 60 miles for anything beyond routine health checks.”

Boyette said he doesn’t think Vidant can accommodate all of the current staff in one facility, so he thinks there could be more jobs lost.

Although he is “convinced and committed” about the need for another hospital, Boyette said the town needs to take what it can get for now because the 24-hour clinic is better than nothing at all.

“I’m a people doctor and I’m a community supporter,” he said. “I think we need to look at all sides of the equation.”