Anderson opening practice; excited to become part of Demopolis community

Dr. Brittney Anderson is nothing if not enthusiastic about opening her own practice in Demopolis.

She maintains that enthusiasm even as she juggles her shifts three days a week at the University Medical Center in Whitfield Regional Hospital, being an assistant professor at the UA Medical School in Tuscaloosa the other two days and overseeing the renovation of what will be her new offices at 119 W. Washington St. across from the Public Square.

There has never been a time she wasn’t focused on becoming a physician, but it wasn’t until she was studying medicine that Dr. Anderson realized she wanted to practice in a rural community.

“I knew I wanted to be in rural Alabama,” she said.

Anderson Family Care will open officially on July 5, offering a warm and inviting place. That’s how she came up with her motto: Caring for your family, like family.

The need for medical care in Demopolis and the surrounding area is great; there’s not a shortage of patients, she said. There’s a shortage of physicians. With WRH expanding its services and offering quality care, she can offer her patients the best possible outcome for whatever health challenge they face.

“Whitfield is set up for success,” she said.

When she started looking for a place to open her office, Dr. Anderson learned of the Gentlemen of Change, a group of African-American businessmen in Demopolis who had purchased the Demopolis Inn. One of their storefronts is the former office of Dr. Judy Travis, and the group is leasing her the property. “It’s already perfectly set up for a medical clinic,” she said.

With the Gentlemen of Change encouraging the revival of the center of the city and Mayor Woody Collins encouraging her and sharing their vision, “I just think downtown Demopolis is going to become a happening place,” she predicted.

A Prattville native, Dr. Anderson earned her degree in psychology from Duke University. She then entered a masters degree in the Rural Medical Scholars program at the University of Alabama which solidified her desire to practice rural medicine. She went on to receive her medical degree from UAB.

“I knew I wanted to practice medicine at home or somewhere similar to home,” she said. “I knew I wanted to be in rural Alabama. There is such a shortage of physicians and healthcare professionals and an issue with access (to healthcare) in general.”

For the past two years she has worked at the UMC clinic. Her plans are to move to Demopolis. “I love the community here and where I’ve really gotten a chance to develop good relationships with my patients and with community members and community leaders in general.” She is eager to become a part of the community and looks forward to supporting Christmas on the river, Rooster Day and even handing out treats to children at Halloween.

She admits to having the “longest, most intense check list” of things to do before seeing her first patients, but she will start sometime in June to schedule appointments. Her practice will accept walk-ins as well. She will be focusing on hiring staff that will make sure her patients have a positive experience when they are seen.

Opening her own practice is a daunting challenge, but Dr. Anderson has role models from her youth that she wants to follow. “They are solo, private, family medicine docs who everyone in town knows them and they take good care of their patients. I’ve always thought that’s the kind of doctor I want to be.”

Dr. Anderson almost apologized for the reason she became a doctor. “Because I want to help people” may be the most overused cliché, she said, but admitted that is why she chose medicine. She always has been fascinated with the human body and how to make people well.

Her general family practice will take them from pediatrics to geriatrics, but the first big hurdle she faces is encouraging people to use her services. To that end she will be taking out ads, using billboards, contacting churches and starting her own website. She who never had a Facebook page, will be starting one for the practice.

One of the practices she hopes to incorporate is the Reach Out and Read program sponsored the American Academy of Pediatrics. For every well-child visit from the age of 6 months to 5 years, a pediatric patient will receive a book.

Dr. Anderson hopes to extend that to engage more adults in health literacy. “We’ve got to make a change” in rural Alabama.