Photo courtesy of Pathway Pediatrics.
Pathway Pediatrics
The staff of Pathway Pediatrics, which opened in late June, is made up of registered nurses, many of whom have children treated at Pathway. The pediatricians have offices in Sylacauga and Chelsea.
Pathway Pediatrics
398 Chesser Drive, Suite 7
Chelsea, AL
678-1286
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturdays: Sick patients only, 9 a.m.-noon
When Dr. Leslie Sawyer and physician assistant Megan Moore decided to go into business together, they were told many times their partnership wouldn’t work. However, there was no way either could operate their business, Pathway Pediatrics, by themselves.
In less than a year, their partnership has worked so well that two recently opened a second office of Pathway Pediatrics, located in Chelsea.
After completing her pediatric residency, Sawyer went to work for Coosa Valley Pediatrics in Sylacauga in 2008. She met Moore during one of her rotations as a PA student in April 2012 and Moore joined the practice in January 2013.
The two bought the practice on November 1, 2014 and renamed it Pathway Pediatrics, taking from the Bible verse Proverbs 22:6 about directing children on the right path.
“When we decided to buy the practice, we also decided we would open a second one,” Moore said. “We procured the area (in Chelsea) in November, hired additional staff in March – going from five employees to 22 – and in June, we opened.”
They chose Chelsea for their second location because they felt the area was in need of pediatricians.
“This half of Shelby County has a larger population than the three counties we serve in the Sylacauga area,” said Sawyer, who is a Chelsea resident. “Chelsea is the second fastest-growing city in the fastest-growing county in the state.”
The Pathway Pediatrics office in Chelsea opened on June 25. Sawyer, Moore and RN and practice manager Megan Epperson designed it with parents in mind. There are separate sick and well entrances and waiting rooms, large bathrooms that can accommodate strollers, two triage rooms, six colorful patient rooms with televisions and a lactation lounge with a recliner and couch. Most of the laboratory work is done in-house and the entire office is handicap accessible.
All the nurses at Pathway are RNs. Most of them are parents of patients that wanted to join the Pathway team. Epperson is also a Board Certified Lactation Consultant and is passionate about helping mothers achieve their breastfeeding goals.
Pathway Pediatrics is one of the few places in the area that provides QB testing, an FDA-approved computerized test that checks for ADHD.
Medical ear piercing is also done in the office by nurses. Children must be over two months old and be up to date on all their shots to qualify. This offers an alternative to going to a store for ear piercing.
Recently, another Chelsea doctor joined the practice. Dr. Alice Hardy, who worked in Chelsea from 2004-2009, became the second doctor on staff on July 20. Her arrival comes at the perfect time to keep everything moving, as Moore is due with her second child in August.
“We are really excited she is coming back to the Chelsea area,” Moore said. “She has a large client base and will bring a lot of patients with her.”
Although the process of opening a second location hasn’t been always easy, the women agree that their faith got them through.
“It’s been a lot of hard work,” Epperson said. “There have been very few off days, but it has been a very fun and awesome experience, an humbling, eye opening, faith building experience.”
Moore added, “He has put everything in place at the right time and provided exactly what we need. We don’t want to take the credit for him. This is the pathway he has laid out for us.”
Pathway Pediatrics will hold a ribbon cutting July 16 at 11 a.m. The celebration will include refreshments and an opportunity to meet the doctors and staff.
