On Tuesday, May 28, U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), who has represented Alabama’s Third Congressional District since 2002, stopped by Wedowee to tour the new Tanner/East Alabama medical facility, including the offices of Tanner Primary Care of Wedowee, a Tanner Medical Group practice.
Tanner Primary Care of Wedowee Practice Manager Richard Sellers led the congressman on the tour, introducing him to practice staff and pointing out Tanner/East Alabama’s features, including its central Randolph County location, easy access from Highway 431, abundant parking, unique architecture and eye-catching interiors.
During the tour, the congressman told Sellers and Ricky Daniel, FNP-C, who works at the practice and also serves as administrator of Wedowee Hospital, that he was very impressed and pleased that Tanner Health System has built a beautiful facility that the community can be proud of. He was especially complimentary to the builder and interior designer, stating that they did a wonderful job—especially with the building’s “flow.”
The Alabama congressman told Sellers that he has long been concerned about access to quality healthcare for people in his district.
His concerns were echoed by Loy Howard, president and CEO of Tanner Health System, just before Tanner/East Alabama opened to the public. “The community is at the center of everything we do,” said Howard. “Access to care is one of the major obstacles to improving a community’s health. That’s why we’ve built this new facility. We’re going to be here to make sure that people have access to care. With Tanner/East Alabama, we’re bringing those services closer to the people we serve, making it easier on residents and families to receive the care they need.”
Tanner/East Alabama provides the residents of Wedowee and other Randolph County communities with a state-of-the art, two-story, 26,000-square-foot facility and access to all the resources of Tanner Health System.
Tanner Primary Care of Wedowee, which has offices on the first floor of the facility, opened in its new location at 1030 South Main Street in Wedowee on May 6, following a very successful open house on May 4. The practice provides preventive care, health screenings, acute and chronic illness care, DOT and sports physical exams, men’s and women’s wellness, chronic disease management, including hypertension, diabetes and weight management, immunizations and more.
“Like all of us, the congressman noticed that Tanner/East Alabama is very unique for Randolph County and that Tanner didn’t spare any expense for this facility. Our patients feel that way, too,” said Daniel. “They are surprised by how it’s furnished, how up to date and modern it is, and how wonderful the overall aesthetics are.”
The second floor of Tanner/East Alabama will be built out to provide space for various specialists from Tanner’s medical staff—including cardiologists, cancer specialists, obstetrics and gynecology specialists and others—to rotate through, bringing specialties to east Alabama that have not previously been available.
Tanner has been working in partnership with Wedowee Hospital, as well as community leaders from Randolph County to develop the new facility. Tanner/East Alabama sits on a 15-acre lot owned by the health system, affording Tanner plenty of space for future expansion as necessary.
“Rep. Rogers was very interested in Tanner Primary Care of Wedowee and the services that it offers the community,” said Daniel. “He’s been to Wedowee Hospital before, and he has always been interested in the availability of healthcare in this area. The county just north of us does not have a hospital and Wedowee Hospital is the only hospital in this county. The congressman seemed to be delighted that Tanner has come to Randolph County and east Alabama to support the healthcare needs of everyone in the community through Tanner Primary Care of Wedowee and its partnership with the hospital.”
For more information about Tanner/East Alabama or Tanner Primary Care of Wedowee, visit www.tanner.org.
Those interested in contacting or following congressman Rogers, can visit his Web page at http://mike-rogers.house.gov/, become a Facebook fan at www.facebook.com/CongressmanMikeDRogers, follow him on Twitter at @RepMikeRogersAL and subscribe to his YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/MikeRogersAL03.