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MercyMe Team Care Spotlight: Homeward Bound

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Mercy Urgent Care is proud to offer comprehensive healthcare packages for individuals and families through its MercyMe membership program — and employers throughout Western North Carolina have taken note. Through an affordable monthly membership, MercyMe Team Care allows employers to offer workers access to high quality healthcare services at any of Mercy’s eight convenient locations across Buncombe, Brevard, Haywood, Polk and Yancey counties.

MercyMe is a great way to offer employees the health care services they need — from primary care to treatment of non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses — all for a fraction of the cost of traditional insurance options.

Recently, local nonprofit Homeward Bound took advantage of this opportunity to offer coverage to its employees, and Mercy couldn’t be happier to provide compassionate care to those individuals who make this community a better and brighter place for all.

About Homeward Bound

Founded in 1988, Homeward Bound is dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness in Buncombe County through permanent housing and support, and in 2022 alone, the nonprofit provided homes for 38 veterans and 69 chronically unhoused people in the community. That same year, the organization prevented 162 individuals from becoming homeless, including 30 veterans.

In addition to providing homes for those in need, Homeward Bound also operates the AHOPE Day Center, which provides a place for hundreds of Buncombe County’s homeless neighbors to pick up mail, store their possessions, take care of hygiene needs and more. AHOPE acts as the front door to the nonprofit’s housing services, where people who are homeless can connect to the services and resources they need to find a safe and stable place to live.

Homeward Bound helps people like James, a veteran and successful plumber, who lost his job and home after sustaining a severe injury to his toe at work, which developed into a bone and blood infection that resulted in the amputation of his leg just below the knee. This medical crisis cost James the life he once knew. But with help from Homeward Bound, he has since become housed and is on his way to getting back on track with employment, ongoing health care and support.

In September 2023, Homeward Bound opened Compass Point Village, a permanent supportive housing project made specifically for low-income residents with disabilities, many of whom are chronically homeless. The 85-unit apartment complex, at the site of the former Days Inn on Tunnel Road in East Asheville, provides on-site behavioral health services, case management and job training.

MercyMe team care memberships

As a nonprofit itself, Mercy Urgent Care is proud to offer MercyMe Team Care memberships to organizations like Homeward Bound, so that those who make the biggest difference in our community can access the care and support they need to continue their impactful, life-changing work. Homeward Bound is one of many nonprofits in the local area that have opted in for MercyMe Team Care since the program’s inception in 2022 — but memberships are available to all employers, from small businesses to corporations, with a minimum enrollment of five employees.

Protection for individual employees costs $59 per month per employee or $89 per month for family coverage of up to four people. MercyMe Team Care memberships include unlimited in-office or virtual urgent care visits, a yearly health physical, direct primary care services, flu shots, BMI, A1C and blood pressure assessments, vision screenings and discounts on durable medical equipment and lab work. Find a full list of MercyMe membership services here.

Plans for individuals and families are also available outside of the workplace, with Essential Care plans starting at $29 per month and Premium Care plans starting at $79 per month. Find iInformation on individual and family care plans here.

To learn more about MercyMe Team Care, contact Director of Growth and Marketing Jon Medin at 828.252.3443 or jmedin@mercyurgentcare.org.

Lowering employer healthcare costs with Direct Primary Care

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Employers are increasingly aware of the importance of offering health and wellness services to their employees. But as healthcare costs continue to rise, many companies have found that employer-sponsored insurance is quickly becoming unsustainable or unattainable to offer to their workforce.

Instead, many businesses are utilizing a direct primary care (DPC) model, which offers an alternative to the fee-for-service insurance plans by offering access to quality healthcare for a flat monthly fee. DPC benefits employers and workers alike, providing substantial savings and a greater access to care — and now this new healthcare model is available in Western North Carolina through MercyMe Team Care, a DPC + urgent care membership program by Mercy Urgent Care and Occupational Medicine. 

The DPC model has been shown to significantly reduce employers’ healthcare expenses, bringing per employee per year costs to roughly 46% below the national average — with many saving as much as $2,550 per employee per year (or up to 20% of total annual healthcare costs). According to Hint Health, that’s a potential ROI of 11% per employee, per month.

DPC providers like Mercy also decrease the need for costly and time-consuming visits to specialists and the ER, as memberships offer a wide range of services that cover 60-80% of all urgent care and DPC healthcare needs. This not only reduces the chance that employees may incur expensive, over-inflated bills for unnecessary procedures or lengthy hospital stays, but also allows them to return to work quicker with peace of mind.

Employer savings per employee per month

Key advantages of the DPC model

Reduced, more predictable healthcare costs. By partnering with DPC providers like Mercy Urgent Care, employers can achieve significant healthcare savings. Instead of traditional fee-for-service models with costly co-pays, deductibles and claims processing, DPC operates on a fixed monthly fee per employee, reducing the wide range of costs for health services. MercyMe Team Care memberships cost $59 per month for individuals and $89 per month for families of up to four, with no co-pays. This predictable cost structure helps employers better manage their healthcare expenditure, resulting in potential long-term savings.

Enhanced access to care. DPC programs like MercyMe Team Care emphasize direct access to primary care providers without the typical barriers of traditional healthcare models. Employees can enjoy same-day or next-day appointments, extended visit times and even virtual consultations, ensuring timely and convenient access to necessary care. Better access to healthcare reduces absenteeism and encourages earlier detection and intervention of health issues, resulting in better overall employee wellness and productivity.

Comprehensive, preventative-focused packages. DPC providers like Mercy offer comprehensive primary care services that include preventive care, wellness programs, chronic disease management and acute care. By having a dedicated healthcare provider, employees receive personalized, continuous care that focuses on their unique health needs — with access to regular screenings, health assessments and wellness programs that help employees stay proactive about their health. This approach can help identify and address health issues before they worsen, leading to better health outcomes and lower healthcare costs.

Improved employee engagement, satisfaction and productivity. Offering DPC demonstrates an employer’s commitment to the well-being of their workers — and, in turn, when employees feel their employer prioritizes their health, they are more likely to be satisfied with their job and feel valued, leading to increased employee loyalty and retention. In addition, healthy employees are more likely to be productive, motivated and have fewer absences due to illness.

For as little as $59 per month for individuals and $89 per month for families of up to four, MercyMe Team Care provides workers with access to a full range of health services at eight convenient locations throughout WNC.

MercyMe Team Care Offers

  • unlimited in-person or virtual care visits
  • annual wellness checks
  • yearly flu shots
  • services like x-rays, wound care, lab testing, and more.

All without an appointment or lengthy check-in procedures.

To learn more about the MercyMe Team Care membership program and the direct primary care model, including how you can offer this to your employees, contact Jon Medin at 828.252.3443 or jmedin@mercyurgentcare.org.

Give the Gift of Health

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The holidays are a time for giving back and helping others via gifts of time, money, or physical presents. But did you know helping others is actually good for you as well? Research shows that the act of giving can boost your physical and mental health in numerous ways.

Mood enhancement Giving can stimulate your brain’s mesolimbic pathway, or reward center, while releasing endorphins — serotonin, which regulates your mood; dopamine, which gives you a sense of pleasure; and oxytocin, which creates a sense of connection with others. This can lead to a “helper’s high” that boosts self-esteem, elevates happiness and combats feelings of depression.

Lower blood pressure Generosity truly is good for your heart. Researchers found that giving to others can lower your blood pressure. Given that heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and that high blood pressure puts people at a higher risk of a heart attack, spending money on others will help you live longer.

A longer lifespan The secret to living longer may be giving more of yourself. Studies show that people who volunteer tend to live longer than those who don’t.

Less stress Want to melt away stress? The best solution may be to help someone else. Gift-giving or volunteering can reduce your levels of cortisol, the stress hormone that can make you feel overwhelmed or anxious.

While it can be difficult to find the time and resources to help others during the busy holiday season, by choosing Mercy Urgent Care for your urgent care needs you are already contributing to the greater good. It’s simple. By using the services of nonprofit Mercy Urgent Care you are part of a community of caring, and your support means that Mercy Urgent Care can continue to thrive and expand its work:

  • providing affordable and high-quality healthcare services for the citizens of Western North Carolina;
  • helping patients without the financial means to pay, with funding from the financial assistance program, Compassionate Care (the program covers more than half a million dollars in undercompensated care each year); and
  • sending medical teams and supplies internationally to communities in need.

Give the gift of health — to yourself and your friends and family — with a MercyMe membership. Contact Jon Medin at jmedin@mercyurgentcare.org or call 828.252.3443 to learn more.