Nurse practitioner P. Diana Wilhite speaks to guests who came out for Thursday morning’s ribbon cutting at the new West Point Family Medical Practice. West Point Mayor Kenneth Kilgo looks on. (Nick Griffin for The Tribune)
WEST POINT – West Point Family Medical Practice and nurse practitioner P. Diana Wilhite were officially welcomed into the community Thursday morning. The Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce and an excited group of friends, family, elected officials and others gathered to cut the ribbon on the new medical facility.
Among the guests at the celebration, West Point Mayor Kenneth Kilgo was on-hand and was excited to see the Wilhite’s project come to fruition.
“This is a big deal for all of us,” Kilgo said. “It’s been a long time coming; she’s overcome a lot of construction obstacles. She’s a West Point gal and we’re glad she’s back home. I just want to say welcome to you and that right here is where you need to come get your medical treatment.”
Cullman County Commissioner Kerry Watson was at the ceremony and spoke briefly about the impact a facility like this can have on the community around it.
“I love seeing stuff like this happen because you know, community clinics are big. I just went to a class and they were talking about how when you’re recruiting industry and businesses, that’s what they’re looking for, what kind of healthcare you’ve got,” Watson said. “So, this is an improvement for West Point. Now when you guys recruit business you can say ‘We’ve got a medical clinic.’ All that helps when you’re recruiting industry and I’m very proud and I know (Diana), she’s going to do a great job and I’m proud of the town of West Point.”
Wilhite took a few moments to thank those she said have supported her up to this point, also sharing some information about herself and the clinic.
“I first want to give thanks to God for giving me a gift and allowing me to be a servant. I also want to thank my family, friends and the community for the wonderful support they have given to me,” Wilhite smiled. “I want to say a special thank you to my late, beloved brother who always encouraged me to pursue my dreams and is my greatest cheerleader; I do miss him greatly. I also want to introduce my full-time staff, Crysti Pannell and Jessie Wilhite.”
Wilhite continued, touching on some of the services she plans to provide the West Point community.
“I’m an alumni from West Point High School. I got my undergraduate at UAH up in Huntsville; I graduated from UAB with a graduate degree and have been practicing medicine for over 25 years. We offer a variety of services including follow-up care for chronic illnesses and acute illnesses, a lot of minor injuries, especially in a little town like this we get a lot of those kinds of things. We welcome everyone to come and make an appointment or we take walk-ins and we’ll just be glad to serve you,” she said. “I really wanted to come to a smaller area because I saw a need for quality health care close to home and that’s what I want to offer to the folks here. I look forward to the fellowship and really getting to know the community much better.”
West Point Family Medical Practice is located at 4131 County Road 1141 in West Point and is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.facebook.com/wpfamilymedical.
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