Small Business of the Year: Pro Health

PRO HEALTH BY LISA CHACON

In the thirty years since its founding as Professional Health Examiners in 1985 by registered nurse Vivian Krumel, ProHealth has grown from providing paramedic exams in the Krumel family garage to providing a multitude of affordable medical care—and sorely needed COVID-19 testing—at seven permanent locations, including their headquarters on Summit Blvd. in Pensacola.

ProHealth began to shift into its current form when Vivian, a transplant to Pensacola, noted the lack of affordable healthcare— already insufficient in the late eighties and early nineties —in her new community.

In 2009, two of Vivian’s daughters, Debbie and Danette, who had been involved with their mother’s business since the late nineties and 2000, respectively, purchased ProHealth and now operate it as co-owners. Their ownership has seen the business expand from one-and-a-half employees and a single office space to 35 employees and seven independent locations, including two walk-in clinics, spanning Pensacola to Santa Rosa Beach. Like their mother, they prioritize affordability and accessibility, focusing on the uninsured or underinsured who fall between the cracks. “We’re kind of in the middle between people who have insurance and the people who qualify for the free stuff. In between that spread, there’s a lot of people who need affordable medical services. That’s where our niche is; that’s who we focus on,” Danette Krumel explained.

ProHealth’s prices are moderate and, perhaps more importantly, clearly listed to prevent the postservice “sticker shock” typical of medical billing. In addition, all of its locations welcome walk-ins, making their services accessible.

These factors—affordability and accessibility—would become even more crucial at the outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020, when an estimated 30 million U.S. residents lacked health insurance, according to the National Health Interview Survey. Many individuals and families who were insured through their employers were laid off and many self-employed lost a significant portion of their income or their businesses entirely, losing healthcare access when it was most needed. ProHealth’s responsiveness to COVID-19 was quick and adaptive. Responding to the community’s demand during the unpredictable rise and fall of COVID-19 cases, ProHealth opened two popup sites, in addition to their seven permanent locations. While COVID-19 tests were in short supply, ProHealth was often the first, or only, resource for new tests as they rolled out. These popup sites persisted as long as there was need, the last one only closing in late March 2022.

The local community and business organizations took note of ProHealth’s efforts and accolades followed. In October 2021, the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce naintmed ProHealth “Small Business of the Year.” The following month, in November 2021, the Gulf Breeze Chamber of Commerce named ProHealth “2021 Business of the Year.”

“It makes me almost want to cry,” Krumel said. “I just can’t believe—‘My God, they picked us?’” ProHealth’s staff, exhausted by the pandemic like all medical personnel, were equally thrilled. “They were so excited; they were so proud. We want to have a good, positive impact on the community, and this just kind of validates our mission and our goals.”

Rather than resting on their laurels, ProHealth is eager to continue its growth into other regions. “I would like to expand into other areas— not nationally, but regionally. I’d like to go into Panama City, maybe into lower Alabama,” Krumel said. In the interim, ProHealth is growing its services, a trend typified by its ProHealth Medical Membership (PMM) program.

As Vivian Krumel noted, affordable access to healthcare in the United States, and Florida in particular, was inadequate long before the pandemic. A survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Florida Department of Health found that an average of 16 percent of Florida residents avoided seeing a doctor in 2019 due to cost, with thirty-two of sixty-seven counties reporting higher—some as high as 21.9 percent. Even if an individual has insurance and can afford the monthly premiums, often they cannot afford the copay or deductible, leading to their neglecting seeking medical care.

PMM—which ProHealth claims is “as simple as a gym membership”— can be utilized as a supplement to prohibitively high-copay and high-deductible insurance plans for insured individuals and as a “practical alternative” to health insurance for uninsured individuals. PMM encourages individuals to seek routine, appropriate, and early care by providing access to reduced-cost services for a monthly fee. The individual membership, for example, is $34.95 a month and provides a $12 copay, 10 percent discount on medical services, 24/7 Teladoc access and more. Business memberships, primarily intended to help alleviate the cost of small businesses’ providing healthcare to their employees, are also available.

Though PMM is a useful service for many individuals and businesses in the local community, it is entirely optional. Membership isn’t required to receive care at any of ProHealth’s locations. ProHealth remains “your neighborhood walk-in clinic,” open to anyone seeking affordable and accessible medical care.

To learn more about ProHealth’s services and to find a location near you, visit ProHealthFL.com.