people die. >> at the start of the mayor's walk protesters held up portia gibbs picture as a symbol.eil blamed the hospital chain for her death. >> she waited one hour for a a helicopter, died as the helicopter was landing. before this, before vident came in and shut our hogs, she would have had 25 minute drive to bell haven and 30 minutes to the emergency physician. instead that lady is dead today. >> the hospital opened in 1949 after congress mandated federal aid to rural communities. for this sprawling slice of north carolina where cotton is still king and fisher men eke out meager livings. >> we have got mostly elderly and poor people and exriegz about 80% of -- economics of the area too. >> but the economics of serving that elderly poor and rural population became a money losing proposition. >> the cost of doing business were going up and the reimbursements were going down. >> the mayor and other officials negotiated to take over the hospital. vident hospital refused to speak to "america tonight." quote, the town agreed to the closure if it was prepared to take over hospital ope

. >> only a few days after this sign went up at the newly closed hospital, 48-year-old portia gibbs wasering chest pains. with the hospital closure, the nearest emergency room was an hour and a half away. >> when she started having chest pains that morning, it was out of the blue. >> hope to go save time, gibbs raced 20 miles to the nearest ambulance station. his wife was still breathing. paramedics called in a helicopter. it had to come from a town 45 miles away, just before it landed, a paramedic delivered the dreaded news. >> the paramedic come out and said we've done all we can do, her heart just cannot take it no more. at that point, they called it. >> the county e.m.s. director said gibbs would not have been taken to bell haven even if that was an option, because the hospital lacked the facilities to treat her critical condition. doctor charles, a family physician here for 50 years and the hospital's former chief of staff disagrees. >> if we had this hospital open, she would have been able to be in our emergency room in 30 minutes and she would be attended immediately. >> do you t