PRINCETON — There’s a wall of honor just inside Princeton Community Hospital’s entrance. There, rows upon rows of shiny metal plaques express the thanks of a grateful community to the people who put their pride, hard work and paychecks into building the facility on Morrison Drive.

Wednesday, an estimated 752 people, families and businesses stood listed as donors and/or patrons. The names ran the gamut, from physicians like Dr. O.J. Bailes to veterinarian James P. Bailey, and family businesses like Athens Garage to statesmen such as Homer Ball.

Nearby, a list of roughly 160 benefactors paid tribute to the people who bequeathed monetary gifts to the passionate project, even when they could give no more of themselves.

In the late 1960s, the idea of Princeton Community Hospital was reportedly born during a meeting of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, better known as the Jaycees. There, attorney Robert E. “Bob” Holroyd recalled recently, businessman Tommy Seaver suggested the group spearhead a project to build a community hospital that would replace the aging, doctor-owned Princeton Memorial Hospital at the intersection of Mercer and Main streets. From there, the leader of the local North American-Rockwell headquarters, James Morrison, took up the cause and led the charge many called impossible.

Those detractors were proven wrong, when Princeton Community Hospital opened its doors in December 1970, licensed to provide inpatient services for up to 155 acute-care clients at a time.

Darlene Hall, of Princeton, made her career as a PCH X-ray technician, and she recalled the hard work and sacrifice the project took, as she and approximately 30 other concerned citizens milled inside the hospital lobby Wednesday afternoon. They were stirred to action by a strategic planning meeting originally slated for 5 p.m., only to be canceled.

The would-be activists arrived at the hospital anyway in a show of solidarity with the community to oppose alleged sales or merger negotiations with LifePoint Hospitals.

“Many citizens of this community invested their money, as well as employees, who gave payroll deductions, to build this hospital,” Hall said, obviously proud of what she and the group surrounding her considered a job well done.

Like many others on hand Wednesday, she questioned whether any board or city entity had the right to sell a facility built on community contributions, but Hall said money wasn’t at the heart of her concerns.

“We at PCH have one of the most caring groups of physicians and employees at any hospital anywhere. I would absolutely put them up against anybody anywhere,” she said. “I know for a fact that this hospital cannot be beat, and if it sells to a for-profit, that’s gone.”

Kaye Williams was one of the volunteers who spent many long hours working phone lines in the late 1960s, securing pledges, large and small, to help fund the dream of a community hospital.

“We had a big meeting and made a list of as many people as we could think of to call and ask for help in building PCH,” Williams said. “Then, we all split up and started calling. I just hope this sale doesn’t go through. This is our hospital.”

Like Hall and Williams, Brenda Miller Mann attended Wednesday’s informal session seeking more information and a way to make her voice heard on the matter.

“I think this is the people’s hospital, and I don’t think the administration or the board has the right to sell the hospital when so many people donated money to make it happen,” Mann said. “I’ve even heard rumors that if it’s sold, people will expect to get their money back.”

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Talk of a potential PCH sale arose last spring, when the board of directors for the non-profit organization situated on city property took an official vote that could have authorized PCH CEO Wayne Griffith to sign a letter of intent to examine a joint venture between PCH and LifePoint Hospitals, a for-profit entity created in 1999 and thriving on the purchase and operation of non-urban, acute-care hospitals.

At the time, opponents argued vehemently that the agreement would be the first solid step toward a sale. Supporters said the move was only exploratory and represented due diligence on the part of a board of directors concerned that PCH would not be able to operate on its modest profits for long. When the executive session ended and the official votes were tallied, the motion failed 8-5.

In December, community concerns rose again, when several physicians were invited to an executive session with West Virginia United Hospitals CEO Tom Jones. Although PCH administrators and board members declined to comment on community suspicions of the session they argued was simply strategic planning, unofficial reports began circulating that the next motion might include collaboration between PCH, Bluefield Regional Medical Center, West Virginia United Hospitals and LifePoint Hospitals.

LifePoint’s for-profit status and a history of purchasing hospitals like PCH left many opponents of a sale or merger concerned that the focus at PCH could shift from quality care to increased profitability.

Mary Raub attended the community gathering Wednesday as the widow of a doctor who spent a large part of his life taking care of patients at PCH. An orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Roy Raub joined the PCH network of physicians in 1972 and worked at both Princeton Community Hospital and Bluefield Regional throughout his career.

“My husband was part of this hospital for a long, long time,” Raub said. “It is a wonderful community hospital, and there really is a family feeling here. I’m just concerned that if it changes to a hospital corporation, it will lose some of its effectiveness and some of that family appeal.”

Raub said she had recently been a patient in the PCH Clinical Decision Unit and was impressed with the care she received there, the teamwork of the staff and the atmosphere in the hospital.

“They treated me like family here, and they took good care of me,” Raub said. “If this becomes a for-profit hospital, I think it will take away from that family feeling and will have a negative impact on both the hospital and the community.”

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While the largest amount of financial support from the community arrived in the 1960s and 1970s, local donors have remained a vital part of Princeton Community Hospital’s success in the nearly four decades since its doors opened.

In recent years, the hospital has benefited from large-scale community fund-raisers, hosted by the Princeton Community Hospital Foundation and organized by dozens of dedicated volunteers who gave their time and effort to improve equipment, facilities, education and care at PCH.

Their projects have supported the PCH Hospitality House, the PCH oncology department, the Cancer Resource Center and room renovations. Donations have also helped furnish digital mammography equipment and educational training for nurses and staff members. And, the PCH Volunteers Auxiliary constantly provides financial assistance through uniform and gift shop sales and other endeavors.

Many of the citizens who spoke out against a sale in recent weeks have been adamant that those donations weren’t made to benefit a for-profit’s bottom line. They said they were made to improve Princeton Community Hospital and the care available for neighbors.

“I think it’s terrible that they’d even consider selling it,” Ruth Albert said. “This hospital doesn’t belong to any one person. It belongs to all of us, and I just don’t see how the board of directors can sell something that doesn’t belong to them.”

Albert also raised concerns about the employees who have made their careers working for a non-profit business and relying on the pension plan available through the hospital.

“If they do sell, a lot of the employees are going to lose their jobs and their benefits, wouldn’t they?” she asked.

There weren’t many of those employees visible Wednesday night. Two lingered around the fringes of the gathering early, waved to acquaintances and opted to leave before they were seen alongside the group of citizens.

One employee did stay for the duration of the gathering. She asked that her name be omitted, but she wanted the community to know that PCH employees are also wary of a potential sale.

“Employees are afraid to speak out. They’re afraid of retaliation,” she said.

PCH officials have kept quiet on what happened inside the executive sessions that sparked so much fear or the potential partners bandied about in local discussions. CEO Wayne Griffith said in December that PCH’s board would always be engaged in strategic planning. He declined further comment. PCH board Chairman Fred St. John also said the panel would be remiss if it did not consider all options.

The next meeting of the PCH board is set for Tuesday, Jan. 26, in the PCH boardroom. The board typically serves dinner at 5 p.m., and the business meeting begins at approximately 5:30 p.m.

— Contact Tammie Toler at ttoler@ptonline.net.