Tanner News

With locations in Carrollton, Villa Rica and Wedowee, Tanner Healthcare for Women is becoming the primary resource for women’s health care across west Georgia and east Alabama.

From routine checkups and preventive screenings to obstetrics care, gynecological health, minimally invasive surgeries and more, the practice brings a comprehensive listing of women’s care services closer to home for many people in the area.

In 2021, east Alabama became the newest frontier for Tanner Healthcare for Women as the practice opened its newest location in Wedowee, where patient care is led by two compassionate providers — Emily Shelton, MD, and Hector Caceres, MD — whose passion for women’s care goes far beyond the exam room.

Since they welcomed their first patients to Tanner Healthcare for Women in Wedowee, they have worked to build stronger relationships with their patients all around the community.

However, Dr. Caceres and Dr. Shelton’s roots in health care go back long before they earned their medical degrees, and it was through experiences during their childhoods they both realized the impacts they could make in other people’s lives as physicians.

“Ever since I was a kid, I knew that I wanted to care for people,” said Dr. Shelton, a surgeon and obstetrics and gynecology specialist who grew up in east Alabama. “My mom, Missie Robertson, was a nurse in the ICU at Tanner Medical Center in Carrollton. Back then, there were days when I would play sick at school so that I could go to work with her, even though she knew I wasn’t sick. Watching her work, I knew then that that’s how I wanted to help care for my community.”

Later, that inspiration would guide her to specialize in women’s care.

“The first day I ever worked on the labor and delivery unit, I saw a baby being delivered and it was one of the best experiences of my life,” said Dr. Shelton. “After that, I fell in love with obstetrics and gynecology. I love my job and seeing my patients every day — getting to know them and understanding their needs.”

For Dr. Caceres, the inspiration was similar to his journey into health care.

Born in Guatemala, Dr. Caceres lived his entire life surrounded by health care, dating back a few generations to when his grandfather was a surgeon.

As a child, Dr. Caceres spent much of his time working after school with his father — a cardiothoracic surgeon — at a practice in their hometown.

This experience took his interest in health care into a newfound passion: women’s care.

“When I was a kid, we had a dog that had some puppies, and that’s when I first realized the miracle of giving birth, and I really liked it,” said Dr. Caceres, a surgeon and obstetrics and gynecology specialist. “I’ve always loved my profession. When I was doing my rotations at age 21, I enjoyed obstetrics and gynecology because of the chance to deliver babies, perform surgeries and be a resource for women’s health. That’s why I chose this as my profession and why after more than 11 years, I still enjoy it every day. I don’t do this just for work; it’s something that I truly enjoy. That’s why I take time with my patients and pay attention to them and their concerns — to take care of them holistically.”

“I think the best thing about being a doctor is being able to practice medicine at home in the community that I was raised in,” said Dr. Shelton. “It allows me to care for my patients well because I understand where they are coming from.”

Dr. Caceres and Dr. Shelton say that two things — family and a sense of community — set Tanner Healthcare for Women apart from other women’s care practices, and it’s their mission to provide personal and compassionate care to every patient who walks through their door.

“We understand that every patient is different,” said Dr. Caceres. “It’s our goal to understand their unique needs while we work to educate them and empower them to make good healthcare decisions.”

Like most of the physicians at Tanner Healthcare for Women, both Dr. Shelton and Dr. Caceres split their time seeing patients at the practice’s multiple locations. In addition to Wedowee, Dr. Shelton also practices in Carrollton, and Dr. Caceres also sees patients in Villa Rica.