2021 Newsmaker: Nathan Baar

2021 Newsmaker: Nathan Baar

Nathan Baar

Founder, CEO

HealthBar

HealthBar evolved tremendously in 2021 under the leadership of Nathan Baar. Growing from its 2020 roots of providing COVID-19 services to help businesses adjust to the pandemic and offering a customized school nursing program, the organization continued its expansion to provide a wide range of care options.

The nurse-driven health care services provider now offers a multitude of services at its drive-thru medical centers in Grand Rapids and at its Holland location, which opened in spring 2021, offering options similar to that of urgent care facilities. The drive-up services, which do not require an appointment, range from general nurse practitioner assessments and minor injury and illness care, to head-injury concussion assessments, saliva drug testing and COVID-19 testing. HealthBar also offers multiple options for packaged or a la carte concierge health care for businesses in Grand Rapids, Holland, Kalamazoo, Lansing and Detroit.

“HealthBar is creating a new health care ecosystem that exists outside of the traditional medical system,” said Baar, founder and CEO. “Our current health care system is focused more on treating illness than on health promotion and education.”

Over the last year, HealthBar hired several employees and created and filled new positions for its growing executive leadership team. The staff includes 33 full-time employees, 30 of whom were hired in 2021, and it nearly doubled its contracted nursing staff of 420 nurses and nurse practitioners last year alone.

The organization also launched its Health Care Partnership Program in 2021, providing businesses with concierge medical support, navigation, and chronic disease management services to increase employee health outcomes and wellness and decrease dependence on the health care system.