Demopolis, AL — Today, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) continued her “Congress in Your Community” tour, hosting town halls in Choctaw and Marengo Counties and announcing major funding that she helped secure for the West Central Alabama Area Health Education Center (AHEC). Each year, Sewell hosts a series of town hall meetings in each of the 14 counties that make up her district to give constituents an opportunity to share their thoughts and concerns and hear the latest in Congress. With today’s town halls, she has now visited all 14 counties in 2022. 

“Hearing directly from my constituents helps me better represent the great people of Alabama’s 7th Congressional District, which is why I’m proud to have visited all 14 counties of our district in 2022,” said Rep. Sewell. “I look forward to bringing these conversations back to the halls of Congress and continuing to work on your behalf to ensure our communities reach their fullest potential!”

During her Marengo County town hall, Rep. Sewell presented two checks to the West Central Alabama AHEC. The first check of $300,000 will allow the organization to purchase new equipment and create a community health worker initiative to recruit and train health care workers in the region. This is part of the over$8 million that Sewell secured in the Fiscal Year 2022 government funding package for community projects in Alabama’s 7th Congressional District.

The second check of $1 million comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) and will be used to combat the opioid epidemic by increasing access to treatment and recovery for rural Alabamians.

“Organizations like the West Central Alabama Area Health Education Center have worked tirelessly to advance health equity and have transformed the lives of so many,” continued Sewell. “I was so pleased to help secure this assistance to help them fulfill their mission, grow our health care workforce, and combat the opioid crisis here in West Central Alabama. I’m proud to call them a partner in the fight to eradicate health disparities and get our residents the quality, affordable health care they deserve.”

Photos and videos from today’s events are available here.