New Community Pharmacy Opens At Whatley Health Services In West Tuscaloosa

Local leaders of the past and present gathered Friday morning to cut the ribbon on the new community pharmacy open now at Whatley Health Services in west Tuscaloosa.

As CEO David Gay told a crowd gathered to celebrate the occasion, the clinic on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard is a beacon of progress and community service for the predominantly Black West End, and it came from humble beginnings almost 50 years ago.

"Whatley's been around, a staple in our community for a very long time. In 1977, a lady by the name of Maude Whatley, a local educator, decided to do something to help disparities in west Tuscaloosa," Gay said. "Herself, along with some students from the University of Alabama, got together and formed what is now Whatley Health Services. It grew from that one seed, one house on Herman Avenue a few blocks from here, to now, when we have 10 locations in seven counties throughout west Alabama."

The operation moved from a house to a church until finally the clinic opened in its current location in 1985 and was named in Whatley's honor, and even that space has doubled in size and stayed modern.

Gay said their clinic and satellite sites served nearly 20,000 patients last year. They operate on a sliding scale pay model, so those in greatest need often receive free care at Whatley, even without insurance, and others are billed based on their income.

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But don't think of Whatley as lesser than other providers - Gay said they can help anyone who seeks care there.

"We call this the flagship here and it's a one-stop shop. Anything you need, you can walk in these doors right here and find it," Gay said. "Anything from podiatry, dentistry, a chiropractor - you name it, we got it right here. And today will be a new adventure in the life of Whatley as we open up our brand new and very own pharmacy."

Dignitaries there to mark the occasion included mayor Walt Maddox, current city councilman Matthew Wilson, former council president Harrison Taylor, Stillman College President Yolanda Page and many more who gathered outside the clinic and then inside its board room to celebrate.

"Especially in west Tuscaloosa, so many of our constituents are doing things the right way every single day, going to work, trying to provide for their families, they do not have access to health care," Maddox said. "Pastor Gay, what you're doing here today by opening up this pharmacy is young providing the necessary linking of health care with its services. I can't tell you today how proud this city is that you're doing this."

"Just look down the street at the impact of and investment in the city's work in the West End area, it's amazing," said Donny Jones, the COO of the west Alabama Chamber of Commerce. "We're standing across from TCTA, who are training students every day for the workforce. Right down the street is the epitome of housing, a model for the country. Then you have a brand new elementary school and middle school."

"Everything that's happening in this community is amazing and it's something you should be proud of," Jones said.

After the ribbon was cut, the crowd moved inside to the conference room where board president Cynthia Burton was waiting.

This community is fortunate to have had a woman who could be stopped, who was committed to making certain that there were health services available on the West Side of Tuscaloosa," Burton said. "I want to believe that she would be very proud of us."

Burton said she was proud of the legacy of Whatley the woman and Whatley the clinic as it nears its 50th anniversary. She said more expansions and additions are coming, with more announcements as soon as next year.

"We have had a lot of help, we continue to be a great part of this community but we're not stopping," Burton said. "So whenever we call upon you, just answer - most people will do that if I call, I know."

The new pharmacy is open inside Whatley Health Service's clinic at 2731 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.

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