Ed Bright was an early supporter of the hospital's effort to privatize, grasping from the start the importance of financial independence from the county. Even before the issue formally appeared before the Pitt County Board of Commissioners, of which Bright was a member, he agreed with hospital administrators that the old, "public nonprofit" arrangement had to go.

"I began seeing the difficulties of operating as they were, considering the changes in health care," he said. "I could see the frustrations of the hospital staff and board."

Many people thought PCMH should focus on its home county and not on affiliation agreements with nearby hospitals. Yet these links were crucial to the overall good of the region, he said, by contributing to better healthcare for more people. A large base also supplied the volume of patients to support more sophisticated treatments and equipment. Concentrating these services at PCMH seemed a natural step, since it was already a large teaching hospital.

In the long political struggle to transfer the hospital from public ownership to separate nonprofit status he was known as a strong and perceptive leader. "There was nobody to ask more penetrating questions, or who understood it any more than Dr. Bright did," says Lawrence Davenport, who was the hospital's board chairman through the difficult effort. "He weighed the possibilities of the bad against the possibilities of the good and understood what was getting ready to happen. Once he made his mind up, he stuck with it, no matter what. You don't win unless you have people like that."

After months of bitter debate, commissioners released the hospital. In return, PCMH paid the county $30 million up front, with an annual payment of $1.2 million, based on its property valuation.
Bright's unwavering support for privatization ultimately cost his seat on the board of commissioners, yet he has no regret.

"We were almost in a no-win situation. But we saw that this was good for the hospital, and good for the county," he says. "In order to serve us better, we have to serve others better."

The move has given the hospital remarkable potential, he believes. Links with area hospitals provide one of the best examples of privatization's benefits. "That, from what I have seen, has been a tremendous area of growth," he said. "In visiting the affiliated hospitals, it seems that they are really pleased, too, because they are getting a whole lot of support now."

Dr. Ed Bright