Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences

09/09/2026

DOCTOR FOR A DAY: For two years, since she was appointed by Governor Kay Ivey, Dr. Brittney Anderson has quietly shaped the development of the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences and the as a member of the statewide board of trustees governing the school.

Today, at their weekly all-school assembly, ASHS students experienced Dr. Anderson’s knowledge and compassion firsthand in a powerful role-playing exercise.

Using scenarios drawn from rural private practice, Dr. Anderson played the patient while students took turns playing the doctor. Then, the entire group discussed possible approaches to meeting each patient’s needs, deftly putting critical thinking, compassion and communication into practice.

Dr. Anderson knows rural healthcare firsthand. Her Anderson Family Care practice is a mainstay in Demopolis — ASHS’s future home — and was named the Demopolis Area Chamber of Commerce 2025 Business of the Year.

She also shares her knowledge of medicine, healthy living and rural healthcare through social media and her “Headed to Healthier” podcast designed to “empower women to live their healthiest lives.”

Thank you, Dr. Anderson, for your dedication to ASHS’s mission and leadership as a trustee, and for your impact on every one of our students through the gift of your time and knowledge today!

09/05/2026

⚕️DIFFERENT BY DESIGN: What makes the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences different isn’t simply what students study. It’s when, where and why they study it.

In this week’s ASHS Pulse, Head of School Laura Eves Bailey looks at a high school experience purposefully built around healthcare, from the classroom (even core classes) and residential community to real-world preparation and a committed student support team.

See how every part of the ASHS model connects to a larger purpose: Preparing young people to help meet Alabama’s broad healthcare needs while achieving individual lives of purpose and balance.

Read “What Makes ASHS Different”:
🔗 https://www.alhealthcarehs.org/resources-faqs/from-the-president/~board/ashs-pulse/post/what-makes-ashs-different

09/03/2026

📢 Our school and Foundation leaders on the road spreading the word about ASHS!

Our second Rotary visit of the week took us to the Tuscaloosa Morning Rotary Club today.

Thanks to President George Lander and Program Chair Michael Ford for hosting us and to the receptive audience for their interest in the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences.

Head of School Laura Eves Bailey and Vice President of Strategic Partnerships Rob Pearson offered an inside perspective on the historic launch of the school last month and the exciting plans for the state-of-the-art campus being built in time for next school year in Demopolis.

ASHS is a tuition-free residential school designed to create a healthcare-focused high school experience that will allow students to graduate ready to enter the workforce to practice in-demand skilled healthcare careers, or to pursue higher education and training.

09/02/2026

🏠🏰🏚️🛖 FOUR HOUSES, ONE COMMUNITY! 🫶

During an exciting ceremony today, every ASHS student was randomly assigned to one of four houses, each suggesting a virtue that matters in healthcare and in life:

💙 Empatia — Empathy
💡 Innovare — Innovation
💪 Resolutia — Resolution
⚖️ Aequitas — Equity and Fairness

Students then gathered with their new housemates to create chants and begin shaping the traditions and identity that will form the foundation of each house.

Because all ASHS students live on campus, the house system creates smaller circles of support, mentorship and belonging (as well as a healthy level of friendly competition) within the wider residential community. It’s designed to give students another way to encourage one another, build relationships and grow as leaders.

Our inaugural students are living this year in a The University of West Alabama residence hall on the Livingston campus, where ASHS’s mini-campus is thriving. They have round-the-clock adult supervision and guidance, counseling and security. Beginning in 2027-28, students will reside on the new 10-acre ASHS campus in Demopolis.

Today, they discovered something else they can call their own as part of this adventure: Their house.

📽️ Enjoy these images from today’s energetic event! ⬇️

09/01/2026

🥇Congratulations to our “host” campus for this acknowledgment of your deep commitment to rural Alabama! We are proud that the historic first year of the Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences is being spent at The University of West Alabama, with our 78 9th and 10th grade students learning and living at your beautiful and exemplary campus on our own mini-campus that you have made possible.

📊 In a new ranking created to identify colleges and universities that deliver meaningful results for rural students and communities, UWA ranked first overall among 225 nationwide institutions evaluated.

📰 https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/08/30/best-colleges-for-rural-america/

09/01/2026

☀️ ASHS was up early and on the road today!

Head of School Laura Eves Bailey and the ASHS Foundation’s vice president of strategic partnerships Rob Pearson received a warm welcome from the Rotary Club of Birmingham as they shared the ASHS story — from our inaugural class to our three healthcare career pathways and the credentials students can earn before moving on to higher education or directly into the workforce, to progress on construction of our 10-acre Demopolis campus.

Also this week: Tuscaloosa on Thursday!

08/31/2026

🏥 The Need Behind the Mission

The numbers in this graphic tell a sobering story about healthcare access across rural Alabama. But how do we begin changing that story — and simultaneously create opportunity for motivated Alabama high school students?

In this week’s ASHS Pulse, Head of School Laura Eves Bailey explores the urgent needs that led to the creation of ASHS, the uncommon head start its students can gain, and why reaching families across the state is critical to the school’s next chapter.

Read “Why Does ASHS Exist?”:
🔗https://www.alhealthcarehs.org/resources-faqs/from-the-president/~board/ashs-pulse/post/why-does-ashs-exist

08/27/2026

🤝 A POWERFUL PARTNERSHIP

Leaders from Alabama’s four free public specialty high schools gathered today at the Alabama School of Fine Arts in Birmingham for the first meeting of the Alabama Specialty High Schools Consortium.

ASFA President Tim Mitchell hosted representatives of schools preparing students for advanced study and careers in fine arts, mathematics and science, cyber technology and engineering, and healthcare sciences.

Created during the last legislative session, the consortium will encourage networking and resource-sharing among the schools, along with possible expansion of the network and exploration of further collaborations on specialized courses and training among school districts to maximize resources and widen opportunities for Alabama students.

The legislation was sponsored by state Senator Arthur Orr, who also serves on the ASHS Board of Trustees.

ASHS was proud to join this first conversation about how Alabama’s specialty schools can work together to prepare students and strengthen the state’s future.

Our team: Laura Eves Bailey, head of school; Antonio Cooper, dean of students; Jessica Sampley, dean of curriculum and instruction; Kelly Brasher, chief school financial officer; Nick Seale, IT coordinator; Cierra Steen, admissions and family engagement coordinator; Kasani Bell, recruitment and outreach coordinator; Raniqua King, residential life director.