To the Editor,

I commend the Robeson County Department of Public Health on their warm, kind, and efficient service. Prior to starting medical school this fall, I had to get a battery of tests over a few weeks to make sure I was properly immunized. I visited family in New England during part of the time of the testing, and completed some of these required medical visits there (in addition to the ones I did here in Robeson County).

The differences between my health care system experiences in Robeson County and up north were striking. All of the Department of Public Health employees who I came into contact with here were friendly, professional, and, best of all, seemed to avoid much of the bureaucratic sludge that I encountered in New England.

That last difference might be attributable to different legal requirements in different states, but I doubt it. I have had similarly positive, much less bureaucratic experiences when dealing with the administrative staff at UNC-Pembroke, as compared to their counterparts at UNC-Chapel Hill. I think it is the quality and traditions of the people of our county, not the laws of our state, that explain most of the difference in service.

In any case, I am thankful for the excellent way I was treated by the Department of Public Health.

William Parker

Lumberton