Nao Medical, a healthcare company that seeks to bridge the gap between emergency and primary care, opened in Mineola at 135 Mineola Blvd., its 11th location, about a month ago.
“So far, so good,” said Natalia Gutierrez, director of marketing for Nao Medical. “[We are] trying to acclimate to that area, introducing ourselves to neighbors, building connections, being involved in community affairs. So far, so good. It was very much a warm welcome.”
Nao, which was rebranded from the name Statcare in 2022, seeks to be different from other urgent care providers by being a “one-stop shop for all things medical in the neighborhood.”
“We were previously a company that was solely focused on urgent care, but now we are total care,” she said. “We have urgent care, primary care, women’s health, mental health and nutrition.”
Gutierrez said Nao Medical tries to approach healthcare from a holistic perspective.
“We are a company that prides ourselves in thoughtfulness, clarity and respect,” she said. “We understand the patient journey and the challenges that people may face, whether it’s pricing or whether it’s just trying to find a good provider for what they need. So, we try to alleviate those challenges through a carefully thought process.”
Even the name of the provider itself reflects that mission.
“’Nao’ means boat in Hindi, Sanskrit and Spanish, evoking the idea of ferrying patients from a time of stress to a moment of calm and navigating towards better health,” according to a press release shared by Gutierrez.
Access to healthcare is something Nao Medical thinks all people should have access to – regardless of socioeconomic status, and they try to facilitate care for all members of the neighborhood.
“We try to focus on underserved communities as well because we understand that in certain communities, it’s more of like, you know, come home from work, you’re dealing with family things,” Gutierrez said. “[In] certain communities they don’t either have the budgets or the time to prioritize their health.”
While some might argue that being a smaller provider than Northwell, for example, would be a disadvantage, Nao thinks it’s actually an asset.
“Being smaller creates great opportunities. We’re very agile and able to add services,” Gutierrez said. “We try to understand what the needs of our communities are and try to react appropriately.”
Beyond just providing healthcare, Nao Medical works to be actively involved in the communities that they serve through events they called medical mixers. These events feature meet and greets with the providers, music, giveaways, and face paint and treats for kids.
“[We] just try to create a really family-friendly environment to try to put a face to a name so people can actually see the staff that’s behind the service,” Gutierrez said.
Nao Medical has locations in all five boroughs and several on Long Island with a few more coming soon. More information about the healthcare provider can be found online at https://www.naomedical.com
