Hey y’all — if you’re reading this from Ellijay, Blue Ridge, Jasper, Hiawassee, Blairsville, or anywhere in these beautiful North Georgia mountains, I want you to know something: I get it.

I get what it’s like living somewhere gorgeous but an hour from the nearest clinic that can actually see you today. I get watching families up here skip care because the drive is too far, the wait is too long, and the cost is too high. I started NPCWoods because I watched it happen over and over — good people in these mountains choosing between a $250 urgent care bill they can’t afford and just toughing it out.

That’s not a choice anyone should have to make.

NPCWoods is a text-based telemedicine practice where I — Chris Woods, a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner — personally evaluate your symptoms, diagnose you, and send a prescription to your nearest pharmacy. All for $59 flat. No insurance required. No video call. No app download. Just text me like you’d text a friend.

Why North Georgia Needs Better Healthcare Access

Let’s be honest about what’s going on up here. Fannin County, Gilmer County, Towns County, Union County — these are some of the most beautiful places in the country. They’re also healthcare deserts.

Here’s what I see from the patients who text me every week:

• The nearest urgent care might be 30–60 minutes away — and that’s if there’s not traffic on 515 or a mountain road situation
• Primary care wait times are weeks out — you can’t wait two weeks when you have a UTI or sinus infection right now
• A lot of folks up here are uninsured or underinsured — small business owners, gig workers, self-employed folks, retirees on fixed incomes
• The ER is expensive and crowded — $500+ for something that could be handled with a $15 antibiotic and a text conversation

About 98% of my current patients come from North Georgia and Western North Carolina. These are my people. I didn’t build this practice for a big city market — I built it for folks in communities like Ellijay, Blue Ridge, Jasper, Hiawassee, and Blairsville who deserve access to quality care without the runaround.

What Is Text-Based Telemedicine?

It’s exactly what it sounds like. You text me your symptoms. I ask follow-up questions. I evaluate your case using real clinical judgment — the same training and decision-making I use at my day job in a vascular office. If you need medication, I send the prescription to your pharmacy electronically. Done.

No app to download. No video call to schedule. No sitting in a virtual waiting room staring at your phone. You text me when it’s convenient for you — 6 AM before work, lunch break, 10 PM after the kids are asleep. I respond same-day, usually within 2–4 hours.

Is Telemedicine Legal in Georgia?

Yes — 100%. Georgia has solid telehealth laws, and here’s what matters for you:

• Nurse practitioners can evaluate, diagnose, and prescribe via telemedicine — Georgia law authorizes NPs to practice telehealth for appropriate conditions
• No requirement for a prior in-person visit — your first visit with me can be fully remote
• Most prescriptions can be sent without an office visit — except Schedule II controlled substances, which require more than a text evaluation
• No geographic restrictions within Georgia — whether you’re in Atlanta, the mountains, or south Georgia, I can treat you

Everything I do is fully within Georgia’s telemedicine regulations. No gray areas. No shortcuts.

The Real Cost of Getting Sick in North Georgia

Let’s put real numbers on this — because transparency matters:

And remember — that $150–$300 urgent care visit? That’s before the drive down the mountain, the gas, the time off work, and the prescription costs. With NPCWoods, $59 covers everything: evaluation, diagnosis, treatment plan, and prescription if you need one. You don’t even have to put on pants.

What Conditions Can I Treat via Text?

You’d be surprised how much can be handled through a thorough text-based evaluation. I treat these conditions every single day:

• UTIs (urinary tract infections) — classic symptoms are very diagnosable via text
• Sinus infections — facial pressure, congestion, discolored drainage
• Strep throat — sore throat, fever, no cough (strep has a very specific pattern)
• Ear infections — ear pain, pressure, recent cold symptoms
• Allergies — seasonal or ongoing (and if you live in North Georgia, you know about pollen season)
• Pink eye (conjunctivitis) — redness, discharge, itching
• Skin rashes — you text me a photo, I evaluate it
• Cold and flu symptoms — when you need something stronger than what’s on the shelf at Ingles

How NPCWoods Works — 3 Simple Steps

I built this to be as easy as texting your neighbor. Because that’s basically what it is — except your neighbor happens to be a board-certified nurse practitioner.

Step 1: Text Me Your Symptoms

Text (480) 639-4722. No app, no account, no intake forms. Just describe what’s going on. “Hey Chris, I’ve had a sinus headache and green drainage for four days” is perfect. That’s all I need to get started.

Step 2: I Personally Evaluate Your Case

Not an algorithm. Not a chatbot. Not a random provider you’ll never hear from again. Me — Chris Woods, MSN, FNP-C. I’ll ask follow-up questions if needed and apply real clinical judgment to your symptoms. Same training, same standards as an in-person visit.

Step 3: Treatment Plan + Prescription Sent

If I determine you need medication, I send the prescription directly to your nearest Georgia pharmacy — whether that’s the Walmart in Ellijay, the CVS in Jasper, the Walgreens in Blue Ridge, or your local independent pharmacy. You get a full treatment plan explaining what’s going on, what to take, and when to follow up. All for $59. You pay after the visit — no payment upfront.

Why Text-Based? Is It Safe?

I get this question a lot, so let me be straight with you.

For the conditions I treat, text-based telemedicine is not only safe — it’s often better than a rushed 5-minute video call. Here’s why:

• You can describe symptoms at your own pace — no pressure from a ticking clock on a video call
• You can send photos — rashes, throat, skin issues… a picture tells me a lot
• There’s a written record — everything is documented in our conversation
• You can reply on your schedule — text at 6 AM before work, or at 10 PM after the kids are in bed
• Works great with mountain cell service — texts go through where video calls might not
• All communication is HIPAA compliant — your health information is protected

The conditions I treat via text are well-established, clinically straightforward conditions where a detailed symptom history gives me everything I need to make a safe, accurate diagnosis. I’m not guessing — I’m applying the same clinical decision-making I use in my day job at a vascular office.

Georgia Prescriptions: What You Need to Know

Georgia has clear rules about prescriptions through telemedicine. Here’s the simplified version:

• Most medications (antibiotics, antihistamines, anti-nausea, etc.) can be prescribed after a telemedicine evaluation — no in-person visit required
• Schedule II controlled substances (Adderall, opioids, etc.) require more than a text evaluation. I don’t prescribe these through NPCWoods, and I’ll always be upfront about that.
• Prescriptions are sent electronically — typically ready at your pharmacy within 1–2 hours
• I’m licensed in Georgia — I hold active licenses in GA, AZ, and NC

No gray area. No bending rules. Everything I do is fully within Georgia’s telemedicine regulations.

Who Is This For?

NPCWoods is for anyone in Georgia who wants quality healthcare without the usual barriers. But here’s who I see most often:

• Uninsured Georgians — you shouldn’t have to choose between groceries and a doctor visit
• High-deductible plan holders — if you’re paying $5,000 before insurance kicks in, $59 makes a lot more sense than a $250 urgent care visit
• Folks in rural North Georgia — Ellijay, Jasper, Blue Ridge, Hiawassee, Blairsville, Cherry Log, Morganton, McCaysville — the nearest decent clinic might be 45 minutes down a mountain road
• Self-employed and small business owners — there are a lot of y’all up in these mountains running your own thing without employer insurance
• Retirees on fixed incomes — supplemental insurance doesn’t always cover what you need
• Busy parents — you don’t have time to load up the kids for a two-hour round trip to urgent care

Where We Serve

I’m licensed and actively practicing telemedicine in:

• Georgia (primary) — serving all of Georgia, with a focus on the North Georgia mountains: Gilmer County, Fannin County, Towns County, Union County, Pickens County, Lumpkin County, White County, and beyond
• North Carolina — serving patients across the border in Western NC
• Arizona — serving patients statewide

If you’re physically located in any of these states, I can treat you. Doesn’t matter if you’re visiting, passing through, or live here full-time.

What NPCWoods Is Not

I believe in being radically transparent, so let me tell you what I don’t do:

• I’m not an emergency service — if it’s an emergency, call 911 or go to the ER
• I don’t prescribe controlled substances — no Xanax, no Adderall, no opioids
• I’m not a replacement for a primary care provider — I’m your go-to for acute issues, not long-term chronic disease management
• I won’t treat you if it’s not safe to do so remotely — if I think you need to be seen in person, I’ll say so. I’d rather lose $59 than put you at risk.

That last point matters. A lot of telemedicine services will treat anyone just to collect the fee. I won’t. If your case is too complex or too risky for text-based care, I’ll refer you to the right provider. That’s how I was raised, and that’s how I practice.

Real Talk: Is $59 Too Good to Be True?

I hear this all the time. “What’s the catch?” There isn’t one. Here’s how I keep the price at $59:

• No office overhead — no lease, no front desk staff, no waiting room to maintain
• Text-based visits are efficient — I can evaluate your symptoms thoroughly without the 15 minutes of small talk and vitals that happen at a clinic
• No insurance billing — insurance companies add layers of cost and complexity. Cash-pay eliminates all of that
• I actually care about access — I started this practice because I watched families in these mountains skip care because of cost and distance. This isn’t a side hustle. This is a mission.

$59 is the real price. No upsells, no surprise lab fees, no “oh by the way” charges. If I can help you, it’s $59. If I can’t, you don’t pay.