Thomasville, AL – Today, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) continued her Congress in Your Community Tour in Thomasville, Alabama. Rep. Sewell began by visiting Thomasville’s Westervelt Lumber Mill where she toured the facility and spoke with employees during a town hall event. She then toured the Thomasville Regional Medical Center and met with the facility's leadership to help address their urgent funding needs.

After arriving at Westervelt Lumber’s Thomasville Mill, Rep. Sewell spoke with the facility's employees during a town hall event and provided an update on her bipartisan legislation, the Disaster Reforestation Act, which would help the lumber industry recover following a natural disaster. Sewell then toured the facility for a firsthand look at Westervelt’s work which serves customers across the United States.

“I know just how critical the timber industry is to Alabama’s 7th Congressional District and to the State of Alabama,” said Rep. Sewell. “I want to thank Westervelt Lumber for bringing jobs, opportunities, and investments right here to our Clarke County community.” 

“I also know companies like Westervelt face an immense financial burden when natural disasters damage our forests,” continued Sewell. “We must ensure that our tax code allows businesses to recover when disaster strikes, which is why I’m proud to be leading the bipartisan Disaster Reforestation Act in the House of Representatives. This bill would provide needed relief to this critical industry, allowing companies to claim losses of uncut timber from fire, storms, insects, invasive species, drought, or theft.”

“The Westervelt Company was pleased to welcome Congresswoman Sewell to our Thomasville Lumber facility today,” said Westervelt President and CEO Brian Luoma. “We appreciate her support on issues important to our industry, including the benefits of managed forests and the economic impact to our local communities.”

Following her stop at Westervelt Lumber, Sewell visited the Thomasville Regional Medical Center where she met with hospital officials about how she can best support efforts to keep the hospital open. For months, Rep. Sewell has been strongly advocating for critically-needed federal support to address the hospital’s urgent financial situation. During today’s visit, she reiterated her commitment to supporting the hospital which serves as a critical resource for those living in the Black Belt.

“The residents of Thomasville, Clarke County, and the Black Belt depend on the Thomasville Regional Medical Center for lifesaving care,” said Rep. Sewell. “I, along with Mayor Day, have been working tirelessly to find solutions that would address the hospital’s urgent financial needs. I want my constituents to know that I am committed to doing everything in my power to assist the Thomasville Regional Medical Center so that it can continue to serve this community.”

“We are fortunate to have Congresswoman Sewell on our team,” said Thomasville Mayor Sheldon Day. “She has been an integral part of our efforts to improve our community and to raise the level of health care throughout the Black Belt. Her assistance and leadership in attracting jobs to the area through companies such as Westervelt has been invaluable. We are grateful she spent time with us in Thomasville today.”

Photos from today’s events can be found here.