Photo courtesy of Pediatric Care of Chelsea.
Jessica Horton, Stephanie Varner, CPNP-PC, and Hali Tomlin outside of the new Pediatric Care of Chelsea.
Chelsea parents now have a new option for their children’s healthcare needs.
Pediatric Care of Chelsea, a new primary pediatric practice located on U.S. 280 near Publix Supermarket, opened its doors on May 8 and is already establishing itself as a valuable community resource.
Owned and operated by Stephanie Varner, a Chelsea resident and certified pediatric nurse practitioner with more than 20 years of experience in pediatrics, the practice offers comprehensive medical care for newborns to age 21. Varner said in the short time since opening, the clinic has been busy seeing patients for everything from routine screenings to urgent care needs.
“We’re definitely getting a lot of great response from the community, and I feel really blessed to have that,” Varner said. “It’s going very well. We’re getting a lot of referrals and patients are transferring in.”
“Usually, the summer is a little more of a lull time, with families on vacation and kids out for the summer, but we’re seeing a variety of things,” she said.
Originally from Wetumpka, Varner earned her bachelor of science in nursing at Auburn University at Montgomery. She obtained a master of science in nursing from the University of South Alabama in Mobile in 2001, the same year she began practicing.
She spent the better part of a decade in Florida, living and working in Panama City Beach, Ocala and Jacksonville. Varner relocated to Chelsea in 2020, a community she said she has come to view as her adopted hometown. Varner considers pediatrics her calling and decided to open her clinic in her community since, despite its recent growth, there were few pediatric care options in the area.
“Pediatrics has always been a huge interest of mine. I’ve always felt drawn and led to what is pretty much my life’s calling to serve the pediatric population,” she said. “There is never a dull day and you’re entertained 24/7.”
Joining Varner at Pediatric Care of Chelsea is Dr. Edward Daugherty, a doctor of osteopathic medicine with more than 20 years of experience as a physician in the area.
“Dr. Daugherty is very well-known in the Chelsea community,” Varner said. “He has been established here for decades.”
Daugherty completed his residency in internal medicine at the Birmingham Baptist system in 1996 and has extensive experience in emergency medicine, primary care and sports medicine. He earned a doctorate in exercise physiology, with a minor in cardiac rehabilitation, from West Virginia University in 1986, and he currently serves as an oral examiner for the AAPS emergency medicine board examinations.
Pediatrics has always been a huge interest of mine. I’ve always felt drawn and led to what is pretty much my life’s calling to serve the pediatric population.
Stephanie Varner
Pediatric Care of Chelsea sees patients for a variety of health care needs including newborn care, well child exams, vaccines, sports physicals, sick visits and basic mental health issues. They accept appointments and walk-ins Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 am until noon.
The practice is located at 15582 U.S. 280, Suite 110 in Chelsea, in the same complex as Chelsea Urgent Care and Snider’s Discount Pharmacy. For information, visit pediatriccarechelsea.com.
