Meet Our Columbia, MO
Concierge Nursing Team
Our at-home nursing and care navigation team are highly-skilled and experienced healthcare professionals, with years of experience working with patients and their families.
Ryan Hopper
Co-Founder and Nurse Navigator
RN, BSN, CCRN, MBA
My passion for caring for others started as a caregiver for my mother before becoming a nurse. Since then, I’ve worked as an ICU, ER, hospice and travel nurse, caring for many different patients in a variety of settings.
I started caring for patients in their homes while working as a hospice nurse during the COVID-19 pandemic and saw the need for in-home nursing care first-hand.
I started Navigate Wellness so I could support aging adults and their families, keeping seniors in their homes longer and helping caregivers navigate the complex healthcare system.
Janie Bailey
Co-Founder and Care Navigator
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to work with older adults. I have worked in mental health case management, low-income housing and long-term facility care coordination. In 2018 I started my own care management business to help aging adults and their families get the high-quality, personalized care they need.
After meeting Ryan while he was working as a hospice nurse, we quickly realized we had the same passion for providing heart-centered, human-forward and well-rounded care that keeps older adults in the driver’s seat.
We started Navigate Wellness to provide the highest-quality at-home nursing care in Columbia, MO.
John McNeely
Practice Manager and Nurse Navigator
RN, BSN, CEN
I have worked in the healthcare industry for more than 30 years, including time serving as a combat medic and working as an EMT, paramedic, ER nurse and member of a transplant team.
Most recently, I worked as the cardiac coordinator at University of Missouri Hospital. I worked with Ryan in the ER at the University Hospital and am so glad to be a part of the Navigate Wellness team.
Throughout my years in the healthcare industry, I’ve had the opportunity to work with many patients admitted to the hospital and their families. I’ve seen the uncertainty and overwhelm they face while trying to navigate the hospital and care system. I am so grateful to be able to help our clients through this process as part of the Navigate Wellness team.
Lacy Rios
Care Navigator
I have a deep love for working with older adults that first started developing during an undergraduate internship at a skilled nursing facility. I worked at a nursing facility in long-term care coordination, short-term discharge coordination, admissions and eventually as the Interim Executive Director before working in the hospital systems in Columbia, MO.
It was during the transition from the nursing facility to the hospital system that I recognized the need for more personalized care for older adults. I am excited to be working with Navigate Wellness and play a part in providing high-quality, heart-centered care and resources for holistic care.
DJ Paet
Director of Mobility Service
I have years of experience working in health and wellness, aquatic therapy and the rehab industry. I’ve worked with patients of all ages, from individuals in youth sports and elite athletes to acute care settings and the geriatric population.
As the director of mobility services for Navigate Wellness, I am looking forward to offering mobility services to more clients, empowering them to live and move more independently.
I love working with a team that not only cares about our clients but is just as committed to helping them age at home.
Kellie Faerber
Nurse Navigator
RN
I started my career working in human resources, but always knew that I wanted to be a nurse. In 2020, I achieved that dream, graduating from Columbia College and starting my nursing career at University Hospital, where I still work part-time.
I love getting to work with clients in a more personalized way as part of the Navigate Wellness team. With my HR and nursing background, I’m able to help patients with all aspects of their care, including skilled nursing and care management.
I look forward to being a part of a growing skilled nursing company in Columbia, MO and getting the chance to positively impact people’s lives.
We promise to be transparent.
We promise to be by your side.
We promise to humanize healthcare.
Whether you are looking to gain a nurse in the family or find support for an aging loved one, we are here for you.