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Those who don’t know any differently would think that Dr. Lance Dyess has been the longtime family physician at the Troy Regional Medical Center in Brundidge.

Dyess is already a comfortable fit at the clinic and is looking forward to a like fit into the community.   

Dyess talked easily about his recent decision to become the Brundidge family doctor and also about his decision to enter the medical profession.

“I was actually planning to earn a degree in chemical engineering,” Dyess said. “But Don Barras, head of the biology department at Troy, encouraged me to go into medicine. He told me that I didn’t need to be talking to beakers, I needed to talk to people.”

Dyess followed his professor’s advice and being a home town kind of doctor fits him like a glove.

“Being a family physician is not a job; it’s a life of service,” Dyess said. “And, it is so fulfilling. Of course, you give up a lot, but when you go to rest you know that you have done something worthwhile.”

Dyess has been practicing family medicine in Elba for more than 38 years. He is the first point of contact for patients looking for general or primary medical care in Elba and now in Brundidge.

And Dyess didn’t just happen to set up practice in Elba. He prayed to be shown the way.

“I believe in the power of prayer and I prayed to be shown where I could go and do the most good,” Dyess said, and added with a smile that his prayer also included three things that were important in his decision making.

And, one by one, those three things fell into place that confirmed that Elba was the place where Dr. Lance Dyess could to the most good.

And it was the assurance of prayer that has placed Dyess at the medical center in Brundidge.

“My commitment to doing the most good is just as strong here in Brundidge as it is and has been in Elba for 38 years,” Dyess said. “It is becoming more difficult to attract young doctors to rural areas. I appreciate the opportunity to serve the Brundidge area and look forward to being a part of the community.”

Dyess will be working with registered nurse practitioners, Carrie Carroll and Karen Kelly.

Carroll lives in Brundidge and has deep roots in Pike County.

“My dad, Paul Little, had cancer and I saw how my mother, Jennifer, took care of him,” Carroll said. “My mother was an exceptional caregiver and she was my motivation to go into the medical field.”

Like Dyess, Carroll said she is committed to serving the Brundidge community and looking forward to her family being a part of it.

Kelly is a native of Opp and works at both the clinic in Brundidge and in Elba.

Her career in the medical field has included working as an LPN and also as a nursing instructor and in the field of health and rehabilitation.

Even with her years of experience, Kelly said she continues to learn. Her passion is to provide medical care and she welcomes the opportunity of serving the Brundidge area community.

For office hours and appointments, call 334-536-1001.