It takes grit, willpower, lots of experience and qualification as well as patience and a passion for medicine. This perfectly sums up Dr. Harlan Vanterpool, owner of H.O.V Medical.
L-R: Dr. Harlan Vanterpool, Robertine Vanterpool and Tashema Charwell
What is H.O.V Medical
Currently, the facilities offers primary medical services with the hope of an expansion into wellness and an increase in medical offerings. Some of the current offerings include preventative screenings, annual physicals, medicals for employment and immigration, sports medicine, and sports-related physicals as well as executive physicals. An executive physical is a very comprehensive yearly physical that goes beyond standard physical check-ups that aim to identify health problems well before symptoms occur.
In addition, H.O.V Medical offers concierge service, which is a doctor on retainer, home visits, as well as some specialist medical consultations via telemedicine. Nonetheless, with an expansion planned soon, Dr. Vanterpool hopes to add more specialists to H.O.V Medical.
With the goal of the middle of next year being the timeline for full expansion into H.O.V Medical and Wellness Centre, Dr. Vanterpool is already fast-tracking some services into his current practice. The medical doctor noted that in the next couple of months, foot care, sports injury and pain management will be added to his scope of services.
As for the wellness services, he plans to incorporate these to complete his medical practice, as he believes that optimum health cannot be achieved without being well. Health and Wellness go hand in hand Dr. Vanterpool said, “We are going to look specifically at nutrition and exercise as an intricate part of health and wellness and support our clients to achieve their health targets and goals. The practice of functional medicine is rapidly gaining popularity in the medical world, and he intends to include such in the service offerings for H.O.V Medical.
The Journey To H.O.V Medical
For many, the journey into medicine and being a medical doctor usually begins from an early age at different career levels. However, according to Dr. Vanterpool, his journey in healthcare has taken an unorthodox path. He started his health career as a Public Health Officer in the Environmental Health Division at the Ministry of Health and Social Development. He was a trainee for two years before going on to become a fully certified Environmental Health and Safety Specialist; by earning his Bachelor’s in Environmental Health and Safety Management.
Dr. Harlan Vanterpool
Working with the Ministry of Health put him in a position where he regularly interacted with doctors in the public health clinics. From these interactions, an interest in the practice of medicine was incubated, and the rest is history.
“I always like to share the story of how I ended up doing medicine. I actually applied to medical school on a whim, as I was split between two strong considerations at the time. I was planning to go back to school and further my environmental health career. However, I had developed a strong interest in medicine by that time, due to my exposure and so I decided to challenge myself. As faith would have it, I was accepted to medical and engineering schools just one week apart. So, I had a decision to make. I decided to take on the greater challenge in my mind and here we are,” Dr. Vanterpool said.
He eventually graduated from the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago with a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S) in 2010. Following his graduation, Dr. Vanterpool returned to Tortola where he worked at Dr. D. Orlando Smith Hospital for five years and then transitioned into the Medical Director for National Health Insurance (NHI), a post he held for seven years. He officially retired in June of this year and transitioned into his practice full-time shortly after.
H.O.V Medical was established in 2020 by Dr. Vanterpool and his wife Robertine. Dr. Vanterpool said his decision to begin his medical practice comes from his desire to practice what he preaches and empower persons to take charge of their health and well-being.
“My desire is to see all persons live their healthiest and most productive life.”
How does H.O.V Medical Stand Out?
Despite there being several private medical practices scattered across the Virgin Islands, Dr. Vanterpool believes his practice stands out because his patients’ care is at the top of his priority. He noted that making his patients as comfortable as possible fosters open conversations about their health and forges bonds of trust which are critical in offering the best medical service possible.
“I am not just interested in what their blood pressure is, but how they are coping, how they are managing their health situation and how they are improving. That is my focus, when I see patients and when I interact with people who come to me for service. That service entails ensuring that their health and overall wellness is taken care of properly.”
At H.O.V Medical on building our relationships with our clients so that they continuously feel that they are well served. Therefore, when persons hear of H.O.V Medical, they should remember its “Your Health but Our Priority.”