East Alabama Health to open prenatal clinic in Valley

East Alabama Health will expand much needed prenatal care services with the opening of the East Alabama Community Prenatal Clinic at its EAMC-Lanier Rural Emergency Hospital campus in Valley, Alabama. The clinic will open on Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2026.

The clinic will be co-operated by East Alabama Health and the Auburn University College of Nursing and will provide prenatal care for pregnant women in Chambers County and surrounding communities. It will be open on Tuesdays and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time.

"Healthy families are the heartbeat of our community," said Greg Nichols, administrator of EAMC-Lanier Rural Emergency Hospital. "When we ensure every expectant mother has access to quality prenatal care regardless of where she lives, we are not just protecting one person-we are safeguarding the health of our entire community's future."

The East Alabama Community Prenatal clinic will provide expectant mothers with a convenient option for check-ups, urgent treatment, pregnancy care coordination and general care between their standard OB/GYN visits. Along with prenatal care, the clinic will also offer pregnancy tests, vaccines and treatment for urinary tract infections.

Access to regular and consistent prenatal care is critical for the health of expectant mothers and their children. For pregnant women living in rural areas, traveling to visit their obstetrician can be a barrier to adequate preparation and care. The new clinic aims to help reduce that burden by bringing care directly to where patients need it.

"We have seen less comprehensive prenatal care in the last two years that ever before," said Rosemary Cummings, executive director of Women and Children Services at East Alabama Medical Center. "Our goal is to provide local mothers with reliable and convenient access to prenatal care between visits with their OB/GYN."

Patients visiting the clinic will be treated by Claire Thompson, a certified women's health nurse practitioner and associate clinical professor at Auburn University's College of Nursing.

Thompson is passionate about improving maternal outcomes by increasing access to health care for women before, during and between pregnancies. Her clinical areas of experience include neonatal intensive care, high-risk pregnancies, maternal-fetal medicine and general women's health.

""Access to quality prenatal care is one of the most important factors in improving maternal and infant health outcomes, particularly in rural communities," Thompson said. "This clinic will help remove barriers to care by bringing essential prenatal services closer to patients and families, ensuring women have the support, education and healthcare resources they need throughout pregnancy and beyond."

About East Alabama Health

East Alabama Health encompasses East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, EAMC-Lanier Rural Emergency Hospital in Valley, East Alabama Medical Center North in Opelika, the Spencer Cancer Center in Opelika, the Auburn Medical Pavilion and a host of other key medical clinics and practices that help provide a continuum of care to patients throughout an 11-county area. EAMC is a 336-bed regional referral hospital. EAMC-Lanier Rural Emergency Hospital provides emergency and outpatient services while its campus also features a nursing home and an ambulatory surgery center. East Alabama Health employs about 4,200 people and is the second largest employer in the region, trailing only Auburn University.