MOBILE, Ala. — Pamela Battiste joined the board of Franklin Primary Health Center just over a year ago. In that time, she has helped bring in more than $78,000 in charitable gifts for the Mobile community health center, and now the state’s association of community health centers has named her its Board Member of the Year.
The Alabama Primary Health Care Association selected Battiste for its Board Member of the Year Award, an honor that recognizes exceptional service and leadership by a community health center board member whose involvement goes beyond the traditional duties of governance.
What the Award Recognizes
Community health centers are governed by boards that oversee the organization, support its mission, advocate for patients and the communities they serve, and help ensure the center can sustain its work for the long term. Federally funded health centers are required to have patient-majority boards, which means board members are often people with deep roots in the neighborhoods the center serves.
Franklin said Battiste’s selection reflects her commitment to those responsibilities and her active role in advancing the health center’s mission. Since joining the Board of Directors in August 2025, she has supported Franklin through community engagement, advocacy and philanthropic outreach.
Turning Relationships Into Resources
A significant part of Battiste’s contribution has been connecting Franklin with individuals, businesses and community partners willing to support its work financially. Through that outreach and relationship-building, she has helped secure more than $78,000 in charitable contributions for the health center.
Those gifts have supported Franklin’s broader fundraising efforts, including the Franklin Buskey Golf Tournament and the Franklin Buskey Gala. Both events bring together community partners, sponsors and supporters to invest in the health needs of southwest Alabama, and proceeds from both were designated for the Franklin Buskey Health Equity Fund.
The fund pays for specialty care services that Franklin does not otherwise offer or provide — the kinds of referrals that can be out of reach for patients who are uninsured or underinsured. By helping cultivate donors and encourage charitable support, Battiste has helped generate money that can be reinvested in programs addressing unmet health care needs across the region, according to the health center.
‘Tremendous Energy and Purpose’
Charles White, Franklin’s chief executive officer, said Battiste has made an outsized impact in a short time.
“Mrs. Battiste exemplifies the kind of leadership and commitment that strengthens not only Franklin Primary Health Center, but the entire community we serve,” White said. “She has embraced her role as a board member with tremendous energy and purpose, using her relationships throughout the community to build meaningful partnerships and generate significant financial support for our mission. Her efforts have helped create additional opportunities for Franklin to expand access to care and address the healthcare needs of some of our most vulnerable communities. We are extremely proud of Pamela and grateful for the dedication, advocacy, and leadership she brings to Franklin.”
A Mobile County Native With Legislative Experience
Battiste brings extensive professional and community experience to the role. A longtime Mobile County resident, she graduated from Mattie T. Blount High School and the University of Mobile.
She serves as office manager for the Mobile County Legislative Delegation, where she oversees daily office operations and works closely with the state legislators who represent Mobile and Baldwin counties. Franklin said that professional background, along with her community relationships and commitment to service, has given her valuable perspective as a board member.
The health center said she has stayed actively engaged in supporting its priorities while serving as an advocate for Franklin, its patients and the communities it serves.
About Franklin Primary Health Center
Franklin Primary Health Center is a Mobile-based community health center that provides primary and preventive care to residents of southwest Alabama, with a mission of providing accessible, high-quality health care to the communities of southwest Alabama.
The organization has been expanding its reach into surrounding rural counties. Through the Alabama Rural Health Transformation Program, Franklin received state-administered grants in August to establish a rural behavioral health telehealth program serving Baldwin, Choctaw, Conecuh, Escambia and Monroe counties and to develop a rural training track within its family medicine residency. In the program’s second round, announced Oct. 1, Franklin received $534,937 to expand use of its existing mobile cancer screening unit in Baldwin, Choctaw, Conecuh, Escambia and Monroe counties.
The Alabama Primary Health Care Association represents the state’s community health centers and supports them through training, advocacy and technical assistance. The association held its 41st Annual Conference and Expo in Gulf Shores this year.
Franklin congratulated Battiste on the recognition and thanked her for her leadership, generosity and continued commitment to the health center’s mission of serving the communities of southwest Alabama.