Inside today’s paper is a story that originated with UNC Health Southeastern. The story announces the hospital’s recent graduation of 28 residents across four residency programs

Among those programs are Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine and Transitional Year Medicine.

This is a significant accomplishment, not only for the new physicians coming out of the program, but also for our local hospital’s medical education program, which is celebrating just the seventh graduating class of the program

As the story reads, this is significant because it shows continued growth and, maybe more importantly, sustainability for the program which was “established in 2015 through a partnership with Campbell University’s Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine.”

Lumberton and the rest of Robeson County continues to enjoy high quality health care provided by this nonprofit organization that serves 13,000 inpatients and 60,000 emergency patients every year, according to hospital data. “Patients come from Robeson County and the surrounding areas,” according to the hospital. “Southeastern’s providers offer specialty care in cardiology, rheumatology, neonatology and family medicine.”

We congratulate those who just graduated from the hospital’s medical education program. We also join with the hospital in celebrating the success of the residency programs.

Anyone living in the greater Robeson County area — who has tried to get an appointment to see a doctor — would agree that we need more health care providers serving our community.

EDITOR’S NOTES

The above editorial is a statement from this newspaper. I’d like to offer some personal perspective on our hospital.

Beyond the awards, certifications, number of beds — and other data that helps measurers measure the level of quality care for any number of lists published in industry publications — stand the hospital staff.

I’ve said this before, but from the cafeteria workers on up the line to the senior management, Robeson County residents are blessed to have a hospital with as much to offer as UNC Health Southeastern has.

Time for a personal anecdote:

A while back I was getting ready for bed when I lost control of the left side of my body; no pain, just no control. It was almost comical as I flopped around to get up on the bed to alert my sleeping wife.

Suesan called our Teladoc to find out what was happening. The doctor on the other end of the line said, “You’re having a stroke. Get to the hospital now.”

OK, then.

UNC Southeastern was about a 10-minute drive, so we rushed over — even though most of my symptoms had subsided.

And again, If you want to get moved to the front of the line fast, tell the reception desk that you just had a stroke.

I could barely get the word stroke out of my mouth when what can only be described as a NASCAR pit crew appeared from nowhere and started doing what they do best — working to keep me alive.

Within seconds, I found myself on a gurney with wires taped all over my body as the team rolled me into an exam room, where even more people started taking my blood and testing running through physical tests. “Follow this light with your eyes without moving your head.”

“Lift up your leg while I push down, now lift up your other leg.”

“Push against my hand.”

“Smile, stick out your tongue, scrunch your nose.”

Now, do the Hokey Pokey and move yourself around. (I made that last one up.)

Luckily, I had just a mild stroke. After a couple nights in the hospital, I left with a handful of new prescriptions … and — this is the important part — full confidence that I had been taken care of and was ready to go home healthy and happy.