Wellness on the Way

JESSICA BARNETT and AMANDA BAKER, co-owners of Anchor Wellness & Aesthetics, are taking the medspa concept to a new level. In addition to providing aesthetic and wellness treatments, Anchor Wellness & Aesthetics also offers mobile medical care to patients throughout the area. 

The addition of mobile medical care is part of Barnett and Baker’s commitment to providing medical care to patients in the environment in which they are most comfortable, according to Barnett. 

“Brick and mortar is not always optimal for patients who are not feeling their best,” says Barnett. “We wanted to be able to cater to the community and have patients feel safe in their homes and come to them when they’re not feeling great.”  

Barnett and Baker have the background to ensure their medspa offers high-quality medical and aesthetic services. Barnett worked as a registered nurse for 20 years and a nurse practitioner for almost two years, and Baker was a physician assistant for more than 16 years. Both have experience in aesthetics as well.  

The two women opened the medspa seven months ago in Hampstead. Realizing that mobile medical care is a rarity in the area, they recently added that service to their offerings. 

Currently, the medspa’s mobile services include intravenous vitamin and nutrient treatments and selected, non-life threatening urgent medical care. In all cases, standard medical procedures are strictly observed, Barnett says. For example, registered nurses follow medical protocol when administering IV treatments in a patient’s home. For medical conditions such as strep throat and urinary tract infections, the first step is a consultation with staff via a video conference call. Then registered nurses travel to the patient’s home to administer tests, gather samples, give injections and/or prescribe medications. 

Patients benefit from such at-home medical care in a number of ways, Barnett says. First, it provides convenience as patients don’t have to travel for treatment when they are ill.  

“When people feel sick, they don’t feel like getting in the car and driving to the doctor’s office,” she says. “If you have a migraine or you’re throwing up or you can’t see very well, you don’t want to drive. Patients just want to be able to stay where they are.” 

Second, if illness strikes after business hours or the patient’s doctor is unavailable, at-home medical service can save patients a trip to the emergency room or urgent care. That means they aren’t exposed to other diseases as they wait, sometimes for hours, for treatment; they aren’t subjected to extensive testing, and they don’t rack up the huge bills that often accompany an emergency room visit, Barnett says.

Urgent care mobile visits cost $150, and pricing for mobile IV packages vary. Barnett and Baker plan to grow the medspa, including its mobile services. Initially, they are targeting Jacksonville and Morehead City for mobile medspa treatments, but eventually they hope to provide these services throughout the state.  

The medspa’s mobile services have been well-received, she says.  

“People are happy to see it here,” Barnett says. “There’s a lot of excitement at having the option in the community.”

To view more of photographer Daria Amato’s work, go to dariaphoto.com

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