UAB Family Medicine – Selma, Vaughan Regional Medical Center and the Selma – Dallas County Public Library have partnered to host a series of community meetings entitled “Medical Matters.”

Beginning Sept. 6, a lecture on a new health issue will be held every month for eight months in which the doctors of UAB Family Medicine – Selma will mingle with attendees, give a presentation and then answer questions.

The first four “Medical Matters” meetings include the lecture topics on aging well, women’s issues, flu season and emotional wellness.

Dr. Tiffany Maycock, of UAB Family Medicine – Selma, is excited to provide this information to the community, because it provides much more information than is available during a typical doctor visit.

“We can only give them a little snippet about what’s going on during the office visit,” she said. “But in this setting we can give them more background and history and help them have a better understanding of the disease process itself.”

“This is the opportunity to ask everything you’ve ever wanted to ask your doctor but were afraid to do so,” said Selma – Dallas County Public Library Director Becky Nichols. “And the library is the perfect forum, of course. It’s a good central place, everyone loves it and everyone knows where it is.”

Dr. Hamid Qazi, of UAB Family Medicine – Selma, hopes that speaking to the community at such a friendly place, like the library, will allow he and his fellow doctors to build relationships with the community.

“We’re trying to build that trust with the community that should be there between a doctor and a patient,” said Qazi. “That’s the main goal and that should be the goal for any physician working in the community.”

Qazi wants the community to be aware that top-notch medical care is available for them right here in their own city.

“We need to show them that they don’t have to keep running to Montgomery and Birmingham when there’s good care available here,” said Qazi. “Stay in Selma, we’ll take good care of you.”

Nichols stressed how instrumental “Medical Matters” can be in strengthening the roles between the community and their doctors.

“The overriding goal of the library is to bring people closer together,” said Nichols. “In this case, we’re bringing people closer together to those that can improve their lives in pretty amazing ways.”

The first “Medical Matters” Meeting will be held from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Vaughan Room of the Selma – Dallas County Public Library. The event is free and requires no registration. The first 25 attendees present will receive a lunch provided by Vaughan Regional Medical Center.