University Medical Center in Livingston, Ala., hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony Nov. 13 to celebrate its presence as a primary health-care provider for the city, the University of West Alabama and Sumter County. In attendance were patients, city and county officials, representatives of UWA and local residents.
“I am pleased to see such a great turnout here,” said Dr. Richard Friend, dean of The University of Alabama College of Community of Community Health Sciences, which operates UMC. “We could not have made this happen without the support and partnership of UWA, Alabama Power and the Alabama Power Foundation, the city of Livingston and Sumter County.”
UMC-Livingston opened in July 2022, the sixth UMC clinic in West Alabama. In addition to providing primary health-care services to Livingston and Sumter County, UMC-Livingston is also the medical home for UWA students, as well as university faculty, staff and their families.
University Medical Center is the largest multispecialty community medical practice in West Alabama with locations in Tuscaloosa, Northport, Demopolis, Fayette, Carrollton and Livingston.
Friend recalled that it was Joseph Brown, area manager of the Western Division of Alabama Power, who had the idea of opening a primary health-care clinic in Livingston.
“There were days we didn’t think this was going to happen,” said James Dial, city administrator for Livingston. “With all the hard work that has been put into creating this, I would like to thank everyone involved and everything that they do to make having this health-care clinic possible for our community.”
Added Friend: “I am really proud and grateful of our entire team that worked tirelessly to create this opportunity and we look forward to growing here in Livingston.”
“As we all know, health care is one of the biggest challenges faced by rural communities across the nation and even more in our part of the world,” said UWA President Dr. Ken Tucker. “When the previous clinic closed here, filling the void became a top priority for UWA, the city, the county and Alabama Power. The need for consistent reliable health care services cannot be stressed enough. We hope to continue to build upon this foundation of partnership and the new relationships that will continue to benefit our region for years to come.”
Brown said making a community more livable requires access to quality health care. “We saw an opportunity to pull together teams to make something happen in this rural community. To see this team come together to create this is very impactful.”
UMC-Livingston, located at 711 North Washington St., is accepting new patients. The clinic is open Monday-Friday from 8:30AM-5PM. To schedule an appointment, call (205) 652-7001.