Brandy Lampke & Katie Smith bring Coastal Wellness NC to the Mountains of WNC
Photo Credit: Brooke Parker Photography
By Meg Hale Brunton
“We are not just infusions, we make a plan for health,” says co-owner of Coastal Wellness NC Brandy Lampke, RN, BSN. She explains that they provide mobile IV therapy and wellness services to people in need of hydration and vitamin supplements, as well as making individualized long-term plans to improve their clients’ overall health, beauty, athletic abilities, immunity, and mental prowess. They also offer specialized treatments to promote weight loss, and combat the effects of migraines, arthritis, PMS, inflammation, and cancer treatments. "We are a mobile service so we are able to bring everything to the client whether it be at home, hotel or business."
A lifelong resident of Henderson County, Lampke worked as a registered nurse in Western North Carolina prior to opening the business. During her time as a CNA, she saw firsthand the revolutionary effect that IV fluids had on her patients. “You can have someone that feels absolutely horrible - give them fluids, and it’s like they are a new person. You see that instant difference,” she says. Lampke loved getting to connect one-on-one with her patients, but noticed the quality of care deteriorating as medical centers got more overburdened and hectic. Her longtime friend and nurse practitioner Dr. Katie Smith agreed that, for the sake of patient care, a healthy change was in order.
Lampke was aware of the Coastal Wellness medical spa in Myrtle Beach and knew that the people of WNC would benefit greatly from a local franchise. She partnered with Smith to open Coastal Wellness NC in February 2023. “Part of the reason that Brandy and I started this [was] to bring bedside nursing back out into the community,” Smith says, adding that being a busy mom gives her a unique insight into the importance of at-home care. “We want people to realize that you can still get self-care no matter what your circumstances are. Making self-care convenient within the chaos of daily life is probably my main focus.”
“I brought this here mainly for elderly people, people that have had bariatric surgeries, and people that don’t want to have to go to the ER just to get fluids and wait for hours at a time,” Lampke says, adding that doctors often recommend these treatments so that their patients can avoid a trip to the hospital where they could be exposed to other contagious illnesses. “Now they have the opportunity to call our company and we send a medical professional to their home.” Lampke states that Coastal Wellness NC is fully licensed through the NC Board of Nursing, and supervised by an MD.
“It really is wellness at your convenience,” Smith says of Coastal Wellness NC’s services. “We are able to help people in their comfort zone.” Smith explains that many of their clients don’t have insurance that covers their weight management programs. Since compounds (such as Semaglutide and Tirzepatide) are not treated by the FDA in the same way as medications, Coastal Wellness NC is able to help their clients access the compounds affordably. She goes on to say that she vets all the compounding pharmacies they work with very strictly to make sure they are both FDA-regulated and 503-A/B compliant.
Now a doctor and board certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, Smith tackles the administration side of Coastal Wellness NC, supervising nurses, maintaining patients’ charts and weight management programs, doing health assessments, and ordering supplements and medications. “Over the years, I’ve worked in several different acute care specialties, but I’ve always fallen back into psychiatry, wellness and treating each person as a whole being, not just the physical needs,” she says.
Coastal Wellness NC’s team of nurses, paramedics, and a nutrition coach offer a variety of infusion services and packages, including their bestselling Wolfpack Infusion and Revitalize Infusion. These infusions feature a cocktail of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, targeting everything from seasonal allergies to stomach bugs. “What we’ve found is that, if you take vitamins by mouth, you’re getting 50% or less of the actual vitamin,” Lampke says, explaining that a person’s GI tract absorbs the remaining half of the vitamin. “If you’re getting it through the vein, it’s usually 90% or above. So, you’re getting more of the vitamin for the buck.”
Smith feels that WNC is ripe for mobile IV hydration because it is such an active wellness area for activities like hiking, biking, and swimming, particularly in the summer. “A lot of times you don’t even necessarily realize you’re dehydrated, until you are at a point where you’re just feeling so poorly. Even a 2% loss in the body’s water can make you feel less mentally-focused and foggy, and put you off your game. Sometimes drinking a lot of water is not enough to cut it,” she explains. While Smith acknowledges that there is a market for IV hydration as hangover-relief, she has been working tirelessly to emphasize wellness as Coastal Wellness NC’s primary focus: educating clients and their families about their bodies, their body’s response, and why hydration is so important. “Being able to provide that one-on-one care, and having these clients trust us and then call us again- we know we’ve helped someone when we’re hearing from them multiple times. That positive word of mouth makes it feel so worth it, and it drives us to keep building and want to do more.”
In addition to mobile services, Coastal Wellness NC has opened a storefront in Arden, as well as a wellness shop accessible through their website. Smith and Lampke take great pride in all they have accomplished together with their strong team and their clear mission. “We’re two women that started from the ground up,” Smith says of Coastal Wellness NC. I’m really proud of this vision that we had and were able to build on, not losing sight of why we started.”
For more information about Coastal Wellness NC, visit their website: https://coastalwellnessasheville.com
