Does Healthcare Give You Anxiety?

Healthcare, while meant to help us feel our best, can sometimes leave us feeling worse than we did before. Encounters with providers and healthcare facilities — even in the best of circumstances — can cause physical and emotional symptoms for some people. There’s even a name for this: White Coat Syndrome is a well-documented phenomenon where a person’s blood pressure rises only in healthcare settings. If you’re not feeling your best when you are with a provider, don’t worry — it’s not all in your head. 

Here are a few ways that Gateway Hancock Health is working to make your visit with your provider tolerable – if not enjoyable – and help banish your healthcare anxiety. 

We believe environment matters, and that’s why Gateway Hancock Health was designed as a beautiful setting that exudes peace and calm. Our large waiting area feels more like a hotel lobby than a waiting room, with walls made of windows to bring in all the natural light we could muster. Help yourself to tea or coffee while you wait in our cozy chairs or charge your phone at the charging station so you can keep in close contact with your loved ones. Our imaging suites have beautiful scenes of nature and calming music to invite you into a deep state of comfort and relaxation. 

Our staff and providers know that human-to-human interaction matters. From the moment you step through our doors to when you’re discussing your healthcare with our providers, each person seeks to put you at ease with their attention to you. Our providers and technology are top-notch, so know that nothing is sacrificed in the name of putting you at ease. 

The financial side of healthcare is often a huge source of anxiety for patients. That’s why we’ve worked so hard to lower your out-of-pocket costs when you visit Gateway for your healthcare. We encourage you to call around and price shop for things like imaging and lab work. When you do, you’ll find that our prices are up to 70% less than what you’ll find at other facilities and lower priced than 95% of other establishments in the area. We also offer up-front pricing so you know exactly what your costs will be — before you receive care. We know that financial transparency does a lot to reduce anxiety. 

We may not be able to take away your anxiety around healthcare completely, but we want you to know that we’ve done all we can think of to make your healthcare experience with us as enjoyable as possible. (If you have feedback on what else we can do, we always love to hear it!) Gateway Hancock Health is looking forward to serving you the best that we can.