I’m a woman, and I must confess — I don’t go to the doctor. Like, ever. Mainly, because I think to myself, “I’m a mom, and ain’t nobody got time for that!” But as I get older, I realize that MY health matters, and I need to find a doctor I trust and who hears me out. I want to be around for my girls when they have children.
I’m so pleased to have had the privilege of sitting down with Ana Stauch ARNP, of A New Way Healthcare here in Jacksonville! A New Way Healthcare is offering an alternative (a new way) to those of us who don’t always have time to wait around in a waiting room for an hour and prefer to have a trusting relationship built on respect and similar interests (healing the root and the symptoms). Ana and I had a great conversation that I’d love to share with you.
Q: What is your professional background in healthcare, and what prompted you to start a direct primary care practice for women’s health?
A: I’ve been a nurse practitioner for 18 years. I started off as a certified nurse midwife, delivering babies back in the day. Then I had my first baby and I tried to make that work for a good year, but nursing and being all in for motherhood plus a demanding job like being a midwife just didn’t work. So, I chose to be a mom and shifted to just doing in-office women’s health. I got used to that and after having two more children, I went into primary care and internal medicine and eventually combined them. As I aged, I saw other women like myself wanting to have their primary care and gynecology done at the same place. Some of us tend to just get the primary care and leave out the GYN or vice versa. Here, we can combine it all, and that’s truly holistic care. Then, as a learner, I developed into functional medicine and learning how to combine the two practices for the best care possible and getting to the root cause. That’s my passion, getting to the root cause of the symptoms.
Q: What are the primary benefits of Direct Primary Care?
A: Functional medicine is hard to do in an insurance-based model of healthcare. Because you must see so many patients in a day just to keep the office running. But in a Direct Primary Care model, I’m able to have longer visits and hear a member out. I’m not rushed by a 20-minute time slot that forces me to just treat the symptoms. I’ve been able to create A New Way Healthcare where feminine power and the health of the whole woman are supported. We offer a low membership monthly fee that allows women to come in as many times as they want and need that month. They can pick up the phone at 6 p.m. or 8 p.m. after putting the kids to bed and tell me their issue. Whenever something comes up, members have that access to reach me and keep communication open. From that, we develop relationships and are able to have monthly meet-ups (chill sessions with wine offered, y’all) for women that center around topics that address health and wellness, such as classes about essential oils, meditation, etc. It provides a great time to relax, meet other local women, and learn more about ways to take better care of ourselves and our families. We remove the middleman and provide exceptional service. We draw labs here, too, and have an in-house pharmacy. As a busy mom (I’m one, too), a one-stop shop is just a better fit for our lifestyle. Under our model, you are paying a low flat-rate membership fee a month so you don’t have to worry about coming in and paying co-pays every single visit. You save money, and you are able to feel that you really are being cared for. I don’t have to worry about whether I’m getting paid by insurance and a big bonus for me is that I don’t even have to come into the office sometimes. Women can just text me, and I can talk to them and treat them from home. It’s a great model all around!
Q: Please tell me more about these IVs I see you offer?
A: We offer IV therapy as a way to quickly provide vitamins and nutrients to the body which help increase energy, boost the immune system (especially from the ‘back-to-school bugs’), and reduce inflammation. It usually takes 30-60 minutes for an IV which is a lovely amount of time to relax and unwind in one of our comfortable rooms. Who couldn’t use that once in a while?
More About A New Way Healthcare
A New Way Healthcare offers a FREE 15-minute visit to any woman interested in learning more. I feel that it is imperative that every woman who wants great care to have a visit and experience the spa-like environment. Honestly? I’ve never wanted to be at a healthcare office so much in my life!
