After more than three decades of serving patients across Shelby County, audiologist Dr. Leigh Burnett is taking the leap into independent practice with the opening of Oak Mountain Hearing Associates in Pelham. The clinic, located at 389 Huntley Parkway in Pelham Towne Center, officially began accepting appointments on Wednesday, July 16. Burnett, who has more than 34 years of experience in audiology and lives in Pelham, said the decision to open her own practice has been years in the making.
“I’d always wondered what it would be like to have my own private practice, but the timing never lined up,” Burnett said. “Within the last few years, the stars aligned and it’s something I had always wanted to pursue. I decided this is the time to do it.” Oak Mountain Hearing Associates will serve patients from Shelby, Jefferson and Chilton counties, offering a full range of audiological services including hearing evaluations, hearing aid fittings and repairs, tinnitus management, custom hearing protection, musician’s earplugs and more. Burnett said her own experience with hearing loss has shaped her approach to care.
“Being hearing-impaired also motivated it,” she said. “No one hearing-impaired patient is the same, but I get it. I get what they struggle with—the isolation. Empathy is a powerful thing. It makes me more motivated to help them and figure out a solution.” Choosing Pelham Towne Center for her clinic, Burnett said, came down to location and accessibility for patients who travel from neighboring counties. Burnett stressed the importance of early hearing evaluations, particularly as over-the-counter hearing solutions become more common. “If you think you have hearing loss, call us and get scheduled for a hearing evaluation,” she said. “I’ve had cases where the hearing test takes us in a very different direction. I’m not always thinking hearing aids when a patient walks in.” Advances in hearing aid technology, including artificial intelligence that adapts to the user’s environment, have given patients more options than ever, Burnett said, but she also works to clear up common misconceptions. “The biggest misconception is that you have to yell for someone with hearing loss to understand you, and that hearing aids will make your hearing normal. They will help you hear better, but they won’t give you normal, natural hearing,” she said.
Looking ahead, Burnett hopes Oak Mountain Hearing Associates will become a trusted resource for hearing healthcare and education in Pelham. She envisions expanding into mobile services, community health fairs and educational outreach. “I don’t want to be a hearing aid store,” Burnett said. “I want to be an audiological clinic that covers a myriad of services and provides a bevy of information about hearing loss. I want patients to feel welcome, safe and respected when they walk through our doors.” For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 205-728-1690, visit Oakmountainhearing.com or follow Oak Mountain Hearing Associates on Facebook.
