This article was produced as part of a paid partnership with St. Pete Nurse Practitioner.
Downtown St. Pete is the Burg’s newest hub for affordable medical care and wellness treatments thanks to a new clinic in town. St. Pete Nurse Practitioner just opened at 33 4th Street North, the realization of owner Jessica Caraballo’s dream to provide locals with primary care and wellness treatments they can actually afford.
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Caraballo, APRN, FNP-BC, has spent nearly 20 years serving the St. Pete area, first working in ICU critical care for 13 years, then becoming a cardiology nurse practitioner and spending four years working with patients at a cardiology clinic. Through it all, she not only developed a passion for medicine, but she saw the gaps in the system, the ways patients got taken advantage of by insurance companies, and the dire need to put the care back in primary care.
So after years of dreaming – and a long list of certifications – Caraballo has brought that vision to life with St. Pete Nurse Practitioner. And that vision is a new style of medicine – one that is available to people who can’t afford typical doctor’s offices (or can, but are just tired of paying so much).
“Concierge medicine” puts patients in control
Part of the new approach is what Caraballo calls concierge medicine: a membership-based system that provides comprehensive primary care for $50-100 per month depending on age, including lab work, full physical health assessments, preventative care, treatment plans, easy access to same-day appointments, and much more. The goal, she says, is to provide an approachable way for people to manage their health with confidence.
In addition to her many years of experience in providing care, Caraballo has also developed a deep network within the area’s medical community, allowing her the ability cut out the middle man and pass savings along to patients. All lab testing, for example, goes through her instead of a third party, cutting the costs nearly in half.
By sourcing directly, St. Pete Nurse Practitioner is also able to provide many services at-cost, allowing for affordable treatments and testing such as vaccinations, rapid testing for things such as strep throat or pregnancy, and even X-rays. And when patients need to see specialists, Caraballo knows who to trust, sending her patients to someone who will treat them with the same care she does.
She even checks different pharmacies to make sure the prescriptions she writes (refills available same-day) can be purchased for the lowest possible price. Prescriptions are for non-controlled substances only, as those should be highly regulated by either pain management clinics or psychiatrists.
As part of her promise to emphasize the personal care part of medicine, Caraballo only allows a limited number of memberships, keeping herself available to patients daily through cell phone, email, zoom calls, or same-day in-person appointments.
Caraballo serves with a passion for people and health
In addition to the concierge medicine, St. Pete Nurse Practitioner also offers aesthetic and IV treatments in the airy downtown clinic, again keeping costs far below average. Caraballo provides neurotoxin care with Botox and Dysport treatments, while also offering lip filler services.
Her IV therapy options, all priced at $99, run the gamut from pain relief, hangover formulas and inner beauty, to cognition, energy and immunity treatments. She also offers hormone and food sensitivity testing, vitamin injections, and weight loss services.
Beyond the many offerings, the clinic also accepts straight Medicare and Medicaid. And to make things even more convenient for even more people, the bi-lingual nurse practitioner is fluent in Spanish, as well.
So much of what Caraballo does focuses much more on preventative care than most offices, and she offers testing that many clinics won’t provide just because insurance doesn’t cover it. And all of what she does, she does with the tenderness and care of someone who truly values their patients.
“I like medicine,” Caraballo said. “I want to take care of people. I want to share my passion for people and good health with all those around me to help them live their best life.”
In short, Caraballo opened St. Pete Nurse Practitioner so people could get quality medical care that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg – it just keeps those arms and legs healthy.
Caraballo is graduate of St. Petersburg College of Nursing and earned her master’s degree from Chamberlain University. Care at the clinic is available to those 18 years of age or older. Learn more about St. Pete Nurse Practitioner at stpetenp.com.
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