As many mothers know, Athens and Limestone County are not flush with pediatricians.

Only three pediatricians are currently located in the city and county, Athens-Limestone Hospital President David Pryor confirmed, though there are many other doctors across the city and county who treat children.

However, the question is more than, “Do we have enough pediatricians for our current population?” There’s also the matter of making sure we have enough to handle impending growth.

Limestone is one of the fastest-growing counties in the state. From 2006 and 2016 alone, the county grew by approximately 10,000 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Pryor believes Limestone needs more pediatricians in its market.

Since the county just landed the Toyota-Mazda contract, which is expected to bring thousands of jobs, the need for pediatricians may be even more critical.

In addressing the need, Pryor said AL-H reviews this need on a regular basis.

“We complete, every couple of years, a ‘physician need analysis,’” Pryor said. “Based upon the most recent survey, we do need additional pediatricians in our market.”

However, that does not mean there are not enough doctors in the area who can treat children, he said.

“We have an extensive network across Limestone County of family medicine physicians and nurse practitioners who can provide care to the pediatric population,” Pryor said.

How is the county’s only hospital trying to address the lack of pediatricians and the promise of more residents in the future?

“We are evaluating strategic use of our resources to address the projected growth to our community from the many recent successful economic development initiatives,” Pryor said. “The focus should be to create as many convenient access points to healthcare to the growing population.”