COLUMBUS, Ga. (WRBL) — Local officials and community members gathered on Saturday for the grand opening of Harbison Covenant Healthcare Institute, a medical practice geared towards women’s healthcare.

Board-certified OBGYN and owner of the practice, Dr. Kamesha Harbison, describes this moment as a dream come true.

The first thought I had about doing OB, I was six years old. As I got older and I thought about it, I realized if I really want to make a huge impact and change the community, it starts with one woman.

Dr. Kamesha Harbison, Harbison Covenant Healthcare Institute

Dr. Harbison was joined by Columbus Mayor Skip Henderson and her father-in-law, Senator Ed Harbison for a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The practice specializes in healthcare services from prenatal care to primary care. The goal is to bridge the gap between quality healthcare and uninsured patients.

It’s not just the insurance piece, but it is the continuity of care. It’s access to care. It’s knowing that it’s available, but also patients have to feel like that they have a provider they can confide in and trust.

Dr. Kamesha Harbison, Harbison Covenant Healthcare Institute

Local officials say the long term impact of this new practice will be felt not only in Columbus.

For Harris County, for Marion County, Talbot County all down near Webster and other parts of southwest Georgia, where we’ve seen so many health facilities closed down because of our current state of the political world. Right now, we haven’t provided the environment where small health care services just like this one, can survive outside of metro areas. But when we do locate in an area like Columbus, we make it so that everyone has that accessibility to health care.

State Rep. Teddy Reese, District 140

Harbison and her husband are working on a Harvest and Covenant Healthcare Package where patients can pay a fee that equates to four visits a year. The package serves as an option to the uninsured, offering them solutions rather than turning them away.