Family Primary Care in Cape Girardeau
Care for your whole family, from newborns to seniors, with a provider who takes the time to know you. We are in network with most major commercial insurances, Medicare and Medicaid, and Guardian Direct Care is available if you would rather pay a simple monthly rate instead.
What is Family Primary Care?
Family primary care is the steady, everyday care that holds the rest of your health together. It covers prevention, sick visits, chronic conditions, mental health, and the referrals and follow up that keep everything connected. Your primary care team is the place you start when something is wrong, the place that tracks the small changes over time, and the place that knows your history when a specialist needs it. At Guardian Primary Care in Cape Girardeau, that care is led by Preston Holifield, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, a nationally certified family nurse practitioner who works alongside a Missouri Licensed Collaborating Physician.
Healthcare is not one size fits all, and caring for a whole family makes that obvious. A teenager's anxiety does not look like a grandparent's depression. Blood sugar goals for a young adult are not the goals for someone in their eighties. Screening advice changes with age, family history, and what is actually going on in your life. Caring for several people under one roof gives us a fuller picture: shared family history, shared habits, shared stressors. That perspective lets us build a plan around your whole story rather than a single symptom.
How you pay for that care is your choice. Guardian Primary Care is in network with most major commercial insurances, Medicare and Medicaid, so for most families the usual path works exactly the way you expect. If you would rather not run primary care through insurance, or you want predictable monthly pricing, Guardian Direct Care is available as an alternative with transparent rates and direct access to your provider. Either way you get the same care team, unhurried visits, and a clear plan you can actually follow. We see patients by appointment, and the office is closed on US major holidays.
Family Primary Care Covers:
- Preventive care and health screenings
- Chronic disease management, including diabetes, high blood pressure and asthma
- Acute illnesses and infections
- Minor injuries and wound care
- Mental health concerns such as anxiety and depression
- Well child visits and developmental screenings
- Women's wellness and contraception counseling
- Men's health and preventive screenings
- Care for aging adults
- Medication review and management
- Lifestyle counseling: nutrition, exercise and weight management
- Referrals and coordination with specialists
What to Expect
- Unhurried visits with a provider who knows your history and your goals
- Same day or next day sick visits when something comes up
- Direct access to your provider and your medical records
- In network with most major commercial insurances, Medicare and Medicaid
- Guardian Direct Care available if you prefer predictable monthly pricing
- Referrals to specialists with your care team staying involved in the plan
- Telehealth visits when coming in is not practical
Our Approach to Family Primary Care
A Real First Visit
Your first appointment covers your health history, a physical exam, family history, a full review of medications and supplements, and the lifestyle factors that shape how you feel day to day. We ask what you want out of your care, not just what brought you in, so the plan we build together starts from your goals.
A Plan Built For You
From there we build an individual care plan: the screenings that fit your age and risk, a clear approach to any chronic conditions, medications reviewed and simplified where we can, practical lifestyle steps, mental health support, and referrals when a specialist is the right call. The plan changes as your life and your health change.
Support Between Visits
Care does not stop when you leave the office. You have direct access to your provider and your records, same day or next day visits for new problems, regular follow up for ongoing conditions, coordination with the specialists you see, and reminders when preventive care is due.
Benefits
All Ages Welcome
Care for your whole family, from newborns through seniors, in one place: well child visits, adult medicine, women's wellness and care for aging adults.
Unhurried Visits
Appointments built around listening. There is time to explain what is happening, answer your questions, and make sure you leave knowing what comes next.
Direct Access To Your Provider
You can reach your provider and your medical records directly, so questions between visits get answered instead of piling up until the next appointment.
Same Day And Next Day Sick Visits
When something comes up, we work to see you quickly so you can stay with a care team that already knows your history rather than starting over at urgent care.
Insurance First, With Another Option
We are in network with most major commercial insurances, Medicare and Medicaid. If you would rather not use insurance for primary care, Guardian Direct Care offers predictable monthly pricing instead.
Coordinated Specialist Care
When you need a specialist, we make the referral, share your history, review what comes back, and fold it into your overall plan so nothing falls through the cracks.
What to Expect
Your First Visit
We review your health history in detail, complete a physical exam, talk through your goals and concerns, order baseline lab work if it is needed, and build your care plan together. You leave with clear next steps and a way to reach us with questions.
Your Follow Up
We go through any lab results together in plain language, check how you are doing on anything new we started, and adjust the plan based on what we learned. If you are managing a chronic condition, this is where we set targets and decide how often to check in.
The First Few Months
Visit frequency depends on you: closer follow up for complex conditions, lighter for healthy patients focused on prevention. We track progress toward your goals, adjust medications as needed, keep teaching along the way, and coordinate with any specialists involved in your care.
A Long Term Partnership
Over time, primary care settles into a rhythm that fits your needs: regular check ins for ongoing conditions, annual wellness visits for prevention, and quick access when something new comes up. We keep an eye on screenings that are coming due, keep your medication list clean, and stay with you through the changes that life brings.
What We Treat and Manage
For ongoing conditions, we follow current clinical guidelines to manage diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma and thyroid disorders, while leaning hard on the lifestyle changes that can reduce how much medication you need over time. Diabetes care includes support with glucose monitoring, medication management, and the regular screenings that prevent complications before they start.
For sudden problems, we diagnose and treat respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, skin conditions, minor injuries and stomach issues, with same day or next day availability so you can stay with your own care team. Basic in office procedures include wound care, abscess drainage, cryotherapy and skin lesion removal. We also provide mental health support: screening for depression and anxiety, medication management for mood disorders, referral to counseling, and practical strategies for stress.
Prevention is a cornerstone of the practice. We provide age appropriate screenings including blood pressure checks, cholesterol panels, cancer screenings, bone density testing and cardiovascular risk assessment, and we coordinate the studies that have to happen elsewhere. We offer recommended immunizations for children and adults, including school required vaccines. Care for children includes well child visits with developmental checks, growth monitoring, and guidance for parents at every stage.
Common Questions About Family Primary Care
What ages do you care for?
We care for patients of every age, from newborns through seniors. That includes well child visits and school physicals, adult medicine, women's wellness, and care for aging adults, so your whole family can be seen in one place by a team that knows all of you.
Do you take my insurance?
Guardian Primary Care is in network with most major commercial insurances, Medicare and Medicaid. Plans and benefits vary, so the surest answer is a quick call to our office at (573) 200-6143 with your card in hand. We will check your coverage and tell you plainly what to expect before your visit.
What if I would rather not use insurance?
Then Guardian Direct Care is for you. It is our direct care option, offered alongside insurance rather than instead of it, with transparent monthly pricing that starts as low as $40 per month for children and $85 per month for adults. It covers office visits with no visit limits, same day or next day sick visits, direct access to your provider, annual wellness and sports physicals, ongoing care for chronic conditions, and basic in office procedures. You can see the full pricing on our Guardian Direct Care page.
Who will I see at my visit?
Your primary care provider is Preston Holifield, DNP, APRN, FNP-C. He is a nationally certified family nurse practitioner through the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, licensed by the Missouri State Board of Nursing, and he works in collaboration with a Missouri Licensed Collaborating Physician. Our care team also includes Madi Hayden-Moore, BSN, RN and Tamera Crowden, MA. If your care calls for a specialist, we refer you out and stay involved in the plan.
Can I reach you between visits?
Yes. Direct access to your provider and your medical records is part of how we practice, so questions that come up between appointments get answered. We are not an emergency service. If you are having chest pain, trouble breathing, signs of a stroke, or any other life threatening emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
What are your office hours?
We see patients by appointment, and the office is closed on US major holidays. Call (573) 200-6143 to schedule, or request your first appointment online. Already a patient? You can self schedule through the Patient Ally portal.
Related Services
Related
Wellness & Prevention
Annual wellness visits, age appropriate screenings, and a prevention plan built around your own risk factors.
Related
Guardian Direct Care
Our direct care option with transparent monthly pricing, offered alongside insurance for patients who prefer it.
Related
School, Sports & Employment Physicals
Forms completed and clearance handled for school enrollment, sports participation and employment requirements.
Ready to Make Guardian Your Medical Home?
Call (573) 200-6143 or request an appointment online. We will confirm your coverage before you come in, so there are no surprises.
Book an Appointment