Thorough & personalized healthcare.
Comprehensive Personalized Healthcare
We have recognized that the current American lifestyle is killing us all. Bad decisions with our supersized diet, smoking and excessive habits that lead to addiction are driving us to premature death. We focus on each individual and their risk of losing the battle with illness and becoming a sick care statistic. We emphasize healthy choices and modification of risk factors to keep you as healthy as possible and believe that another pill isn’t always the right choice with reversible conditions like diabetes and hypertension. Our practice is focused on you and your needs and the best recommendations we can provide in partnership with you to keep you active and healthy.
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Benefits
- Annual Executive Panel
- Minor “In practice” Surgery (excluding pathology costs)
- In-office EKG
- Joint Injections (Sports Medicine)
- -50% Discount on Labs through Mako Labs
- Annual Wellness Visit
- Routine GYN Care (Excludes pathology for Pap smears)
Proudly serving the Crystal Coast community.
For over 35 years, we have dedicated our practice to providing optimized healthcare to patients over the age of 18 throughout the Crystal Coast community. Between our advanced technologies and comprehensive care methods, we deliver the most detailed and thorough healthcare possible.
Along with our five convenient locations in Beaufort, Morehead City, Goldsboro, Jacksonville, and Newport, NC, we provide flexible hours to accommodate our patients’ schedules. For payment options, we accept Medicare and Medicaid for your convenience.
Services we provide.
At Open Water Medical, our mission is to offer comprehensive primary care tailored to each patient’s unique needs. With five convenient locations across North Carolina’s Crystal Coast, we strive to make healthcare accessible, personal, and proactive.
Why Patients Choose Us
- Experienced & Compassionate Care Team
With 30+ years serving adults 18+, our dedicated physicians, PAs, and FNPs offer personalized, relationship-focused care.
- Patient-Centered Approach
We believe another pill isn’t always the answer—education, lifestyle changes, and early intervention are central to our care philosophy.
- Flexible Locations & Extended Access
Book online at any of our five offices—Beaufort, Morehead City, Goldsboro, Jacksonville, and Newport—with extended hours and easy access.
Insurance-Friendly & DPC Alternative
We accept most insurances including Medicare & Medicaid, plus offer a Direct Primary Care (DPC) membership model for those seeking simplified, insurance-free care.
Urgent Care Visits
People get sick quickly and need care and attention that day. We offer same day appointments with our providers to be sure you get the care you need from providers you trust. Telehealth appointments are available daily as well for those days that getting to the office isn’t in the plans.
Physicals
Remote Patient Monitoring
Our job is to utilize resources like this that keep our patients healthy and away from the sick care system.
In-Office Lab Testing
H1AC Testing
Weight Loss Counseling
Smoking Cessation Counseling
Chronic Care Management (CCM)
Chronic Care Management (CCM) is a Medicare-supported service that provides personalized, ongoing care coordination for patients with two or more chronic conditions. CCM helps improve health outcomes through remote patient monitoring, medication management, and regular check-ins with healthcare providers.
Designed to reduce hospital visits and enhance quality of life, chronic care management programs are ideal for seniors and individuals managing long-term illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, or COPD.
COVID-19 Rapid Testing
COVID-19 Vaccines
Addiction Recovery Services
Wound Care
Lifestyle Coaching
Specialized Diagnosis Services
Other Services
Who we are.
Since then, Dr. Willis has built on that goal and expanded his team of care providers throughout the years. We opened the Morehead City location in 2015 and then Goldsboro in 2019. After that, we added two more locations: Jacksonville and Newport in 2022. Today, there are now five locations available to help residents throughout the Crystal Coast community.
Our team is proud to provide comprehensive care and individualized treatment to patients of all ages. With extensive training and years of experience, we can offer the thorough and careful treatment your family needs.
Jack Orton, PA
William “Jack” Orton became an East Tennessee State University registered nurse in 1978. He attended Wake Forest University School of Medicine and became a physician assistant in 1990. Jack has 14 years of military service. He has also worked in family practice since 1995, being a chief physician assistant in Cardiothoracic surgery from 1990 to 1995.
Terri Turner, RN, FNP-BC
Terri is originally from Texas, where she was born and lived her whole life until moving to North Carolina 1.5 years ago. Her reasons for moving consist of “wanting to have an adventure” and “Dallas/Fort Worth was getting too big and noisy.”
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She has been a Nurse Practitioner for over ten years and an ICU/Stepdown nurse for over 30 years. Her career as an NP consisted of doing house calls for the most fragile patients with multiple comorbid diseases. Her treatment philosophy is based on Rosemarie Rizzo Parse’s philosophy of Human Becoming, which guides nurses to focus on the quality of life from each person’s perspective as the goal of nursing. The theory relies on partnering with a patient on healthy goals and prevention versus making the patient passive in their course of treatment.
Her current interests include taking a Reiki course (to assist with pain management for her patients), reading educational improvement books, and gardening. Currently, she has two German Shepherds and two cats, who think she babbles way too much and needs to give more treats. She also delights in spoiling her twin grandsons at every opportunity.
Kerry Willis, MD
Dr. Willis is a practicing Physician at Open Water Medical PA. He founded the practice over 30 years ago in Beaufort, NC, and has overseen its growth to multi-site locations in NC. Dr. Willis is a graduate of NC State University for undergraduate studies, the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and completed his Medical training at the Family Medicine Center at East Carolina University.
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He returned home to Carteret County 32 years ago and opened the practice. A believer in community involvement, Dr. Willis has been active in local sports programs as a team Physician and active in the fight against prescription opioid abuse as a speaker for regional seminars and provider of services for the Loaves and Fishes Drug Rehabilitation program. He is involved with the NC Academy of Family Medicine as part of the committee members working to improve the healthcare delivery system and its structure.
He is the husband of his awesome wife Kimberly and a father to two incredible young men, Samuel and Benjamin, and a grandfather to his three grandchildren, Baily, Brooke, and Rhett. He enjoys introducing innovative technologies to primary care practices, hunting with his bird dogs, and any kind of fishing that allows him to enjoy the great outdoors of North Carolina in his off time.
Sidney Bradley, MSN, FNP-C
Sidney is from Goldsboro, North Carolina, where she was born and raised. She began her journey as a Registered Nurse in 2014 and has been in healthcare for over 10 years.
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Sidney obtained her Master’s of Science in Nurse Executive in 2021 and later received her Graduate Certificate in Family Nurse Practitioner from Chamberlain University in 2024. She looks forward to using her healthcare background, experience, and knowledge to benefit families and individuals in the Primary Care setting. She is an active member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. In her free time, Sidney enjoys relaxing boat rides with her husband, off-shore fishing, spending time with friends and family, and living every moment to the fullest. Sidney’s life would not be complete without her four legged babies.
Christy Jones, FNP
Christy Jones is a Certified Family Nurse Practitioner from Pitt County, NC. She has been in Newport for over a year. She got her BSN from UNCW and MSN from Chamberlain University. She moved to the coast in 2023 with her husband and son. She enjoys fishing, traveling and spending time with family.
Gerriann Burton, FNP
Gerriann has been in healthcare since 2014. She obtained her Masters of Science in Nursing from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She is currently seeing patients in the Jacksonville office. Gerriann is a member of a diverse family who spent her childhood living in various states, but calls North Carolina and Texas home. She is a mother of four children, enjoys solitude, music, learning new things, and spending time with family.
Mike Cartledge, PA
Mike Cartledge, PA is an experienced Physician Assistant with over 27 years of experience in primary care and family medicine. He is retired from the U.S. Army Medical Specialty Corps and has worked in North Carolina for over 20 years.
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Mr. Cartledge graduated from the University of Oklahoma with honors as a Physician Assistant. Additionally, he completed his Masters from the University of Nebraska with a concentration on family medicine.
Mike Cartledge has passion for primary care and especially diabetes. When a patient is struggling with such a life changing diagnosis like diabetes, Mike Cartledge focuses on the patient by spending the necessary time with them and their family to gain control of this disease and the many new interventions that are available to our patients.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of services does Open Water Medical offer?
Open Water Medical provides comprehensive primary care services, including urgent care visits, physicals, lab testing, weight loss counseling, smoking cessation, COVID-19 testing and vaccines, addiction recovery services, and wound care.
Does Open Water Medical offer same-day appointments?
Yes, Open Water Medical offers same-day appointments and telehealth options for urgent care needs.
What age group does Open Water Medical serve?
Open Water Medical provides healthcare services to patients over the age of 18 throughout the Crystal Coast community.
Does Open Water Medical accept Medicare and Medicaid?
Yes, Open Water Medical accepts both Medicare and Medicaid for patient convenience. Please note that our practice or the physician you visit must be listed on your card.
What is Open Water Medical's approach to healthcare?
Open Water Medical focuses on personalized, comprehensive healthcare with an emphasis on wellness, lifestyle management, and preventive care.
Who founded Open Water Medical and when?
Dr. Kerry Willis founded Open Water Medical in 1988, starting with the first location in Beaufort, NC.
Does Open Water Medical offer specialized diagnostic services?
Yes, Open Water Medical partners with Mako Labs and Microgen to provide advanced PSE and next-generation sequencing for various conditions.
Does Open Water Medical offer remote patient monitoring?
Yes, Open Water Medical promotes remote patient monitoring for conditions such as diabetes, congestive heart failure, and hypertension.
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Reach out to us.
If you’re looking for high-quality, comprehensive healthcare for you and your family, please contact us.
Open Water Medical
Hours:
Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
