Laney Internal Medicine Group opening

Next week, longtime Hazlehurst physician Dr. David Turfler will retire. His practice will be taken over by Dr. Jason Laney and Nurse Practitioner Eric Carelock under the business name of Laney Internal Medicine Group.
Dr. Laney has been practicing medicine in Hazlehurst since 2013 and has been well received in the community. But for those who are not familiar with him and his family, he felt the need to reintroduce himself to the people of Jeff Davis County.
Here’s what he had to say:
Many of you may know me by now but I wanted to reintroduce myself to the community and tell you a little of how I became a doctor.
For me, medicine is a calling. After being in and out of the hospital as a child, I knew I wanted to be a physician and help others the way my doctors had helped me. Years of study and dedication took me to excellent institutions like UGA, Mercer and Emory University.
When I got the invitation to become a member of UGA’s football team in the summer of 2001, I knew I was going to be a Dawg! Although playing football was an experience I will never forget, Medicine was still my calling. While at UGA I met my wonderful wife. She inspired me to hunker down and study hard. After graduating Magna Cume Laude from UGA with a degree in Biology, we got married and started our family.
After attending UGA, I was accepted to Mercer University School of Medicine. While at Mercer, I was fortunate to be a part of the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society. AOA is a medical society for the top 1% of medical students and it was an honor to be inducted. From Mercer, I completed an Internal Medicine Residency at Emory University School of Medicine. I was voted outstanding resident in 2011 and worked hard to learn from the many brilliant attendings. Emory’s training was rigorous and extensive and I am forever thankful for the knowledge I gained.
I was able to put my skills to the test when my family and I moved to Hazlehurst in the summer of 2013. Hazlehurst supported me through my medical training and I was thrilled to be able to come back and serve this wonderful community. By now my wife and I had two boys and were excited about raising them in a small town. My family and I have thrived here. We love watching our kids play sports and play with their friends. I am able to coach their sports teams and be involved in community activities. We even added to our family in 2016 with the addition of our third boy. This place has become home and we are thrilled to able to lay down roots by taking over Dr. Turfler’s practice.
I want to say thank you to Dr. Turfler for his service to our community and the help and guidance he has given me in the transition.