Clyde R. Edwards, PA-C - Pediatrics, Lumberton

Physician Assistant Clyde Richard "Rick" Edwards loves his job and will proudly declare he gets paid to play with children all day. But without his jovial nature, many of his patients may not have received the health care so vital to a child's development.

"About 75 percent of our practice is Medicaid -- there are also a fair number of patients with no insurance at all," Mr. Edwards said of Lumberton Children's Clinic where he has been a PA since 1999. "I was hoping to find a place that was underserved where I could do some good. Lumberton is that place."

"Robeson County is no longer eligible for federal and state student loan repayment programs, and I still had some outstanding student loans," Mr. Edwards explains. "The Community Practitioner Program is helping me so I can continue working here while making progress on my loans."

"I love North Carolina -- it is a great state. Lumberton has been a very rewarding place to live, and I feel like I'm making a difference," Mr. Edwards explains.