About one and a half years ago the Lt. Governor, Ms. Beverly Perdue, of North Carolina was invited to visit Indian Health Care Clinic (IHC).  On September 21, 2006, IHC received a call from the Lt. Governor office asking if she could visit the clinic on Tuesday, September 26.  Just four days to get everything ready for the Lt. Governor’s visit—the scramble was on.

The floors really needed to be refinished. After two and a half years of serving the patients of Robeson County, the walls could use new paint. Lumberton Adventist Company members were ask to help get the clinic in order. They came and worked hard, and things were shining like new.

Just what would it mean to us for the Lt. Governor to visit the clinic? She had help IHC receive a grant from the state. The reason that she help was because  people she knew, and we had become acquainted with, informed her of our need. Thus, the reason for IHC extending the invitation in the first place. The state has quite a bit of money that comes to it for social community programs, and all of the grants come across her desk for her signature. She would not be a bad person to get to know and hopefully impress with what you are doing.


Would she be impressed with what IHC is doing? We got the clinic all shined up, but we would need more than that. We had patients scheduled to see the doctor, but sometimes we have patients that don’t keep their appointments. It would not look good not to have patients when she visited. However, word got around to the patients and there was interest. About 30 patients came the day of the visit. Everyone was eager to tell his/her story.
   
The Lt. Governor listened intently to each of the patients as they related their story. The governor was brought to tears as she heard patients tell her that the clinic had saved their lives, because they could not see a doctor until IHC opened it’s doors. They related how they could not afford insurance or the cost of seeing a doctor. They told how they could not afford to buy the medicine they needed, but how IHC sold them the medicine they need for just pennies, or gave it to them if they could not afford to pay the small amount. The Lt. governor turned to NC Senator David Weinstein and said, “We need a clinic like this in every county”.

Was the Lt. Governor impressed? We believe she was. She said, “We are going to get IHC  help.” We pray she will be able to fulfill her word in getting the help. We believe we have found a friend to help lessen the health disparities of Robeson County.
   
Native Americans makeup 38% of Robeson Counties population. 19.2% of the native population do not have health insurance, 29.4% cannot afford to see a doctor for health needs, 28.9% do not have a personal physician. Indeed the health disparities are great in Robeson County