A Call for Change

Bennettsville needs to change and it needs to change fast.

I blurted out those very words about a week ago, when I visited my hometown and found out Marlboro Park Hospital, the only hospital in the county, had been shut down. Upon driving past the entrance of the now defunct hospital, I spotted a sign that said for immediate service please try the emergency facilities in the next county over.

Unacceptable on every level imaginable.
How can a town, let alone a county, have its sole hospital close? People still have emergencies and get sick right? Right? As the son of two elderly parents, I have deep concerns that the nearest hospital they can attend is 20 miles out.

Owners of the hospital say it just isn't bringing in enough money. And I have to say I'm not surprised. Bennettsville has always been a town that has fought hard to resist change. Still hanging on to the ridiculous notion the economy should be driven by agriculture (an outdated concept by at least 30 years), the town is falling behind and missing out on tremendous opportunities.

For years people have been crying for change and asking for more businesses to come into the town. After years of lobbying the city finally... finally opened its doors to allow Wal-Mart to come in. Prior to the store opening, people would drive across the state line to go to Wal-Mart, or as far as 20 miles away in the neighboring county.

People want to spend their money, but there aren't any places in Bennettsville for the constituents to shop. Therefore they're looking outside of the city to get their needs met. Unfortunately, it has reached a point where Bennettsville is beginning to lose the necessities.

Change must come. It has to come for the beleaguered town that serves as a gateway to Myrtle Beach – one of the largest tourists areas in South Carolina. Leaders of the town must change and embrace the 21st century if Bennettsville is expected to thrive or next time it could lose a lot more than its hospital.