The Harrison County Chamber of Commerce facilitated a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of Bridgeport Wellness Center Thursday morning. In addition to business owners and Chamber representatives, the event was attended by city officials, including members of Bridgeport City Council. After welcoming remarks, the ribbon was cut indicating the official opening of White Oaks’ newest business.

Pictured front center are Coleton Heflin, Zachary Schot, and Kendall Lambert.

Read the original story which ran Jan. 23 on Connect-Bridgeport below:

Bridgeport Wellness Center was founded to improve healthcare to West Virginia residents at an affordable cost by bypassing insurance which often holds up timely treatment. Located at 120 Professional Place in White Oaks, the facility offers contracted prices with medication suppliers and lab companies.

The facility was founded by nurse practitioner, Zachary Schot, a graduate of Grafton High School and Fairmont State University who obtained his master’s degree as a family nurse practitioner at Chamberlain University in Illinois.

“Not only am I a healthcare provider, I am also a healthcare consumer. I, too, have become frustrated with our broken healthcare system and have even thought to myself, ‘Wow, my doctor spends more time typing on the computer during my appointment than he does listening to my concerns,’” he said.

Schot’s goal in opening his own primary care practice is to provide greater access to healthcare at a more affordable cost.

“My priority and what I’m passionate about is that I think I can make a difference,” he said.

The Bridgeport Wellness model is centered around unlimited appointments and unlimited access directly with one’s provider.

“I believe in an alternative model called Direct Primary Care, which allows providers to spend as much time as necessary with their patients, allows patients to feel heard and listened to, and eliminates many of the common frustrations that our traditional healthcare delivery model causes,” he said.

Services are intended for both insured and uninsured patients.

“Using insurance and dealing with deductibles can be frustrating. Providers are working for corporations and it’s all about how many hours can be billed,” Schot said. “Some people get frustrated that it takes so long to be seen, or you have a chronic problem and cannot get in for a week or so. Even people with insurance may want a higher level of personal care and better availability.”

Patients can pay a flat fee per visit or join