Meet Your Provider: Sarina Helton, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, CAE-OM

Choosing a healthcare provider is personal. You deserve to know who is caring for you, what experience they bring, and how they approach treatment.

Sarina Helton, FNP

8/31/20264 min read

Meet Your Provider: Sarina Helton, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, CAE-OM

Choosing a healthcare provider is personal. You deserve to know who is caring for you, what experience they bring, and how they approach treatment.

I’m Sarina Helton, a board-certified family nurse practitioner and the founder of Optima Vida Healthcare. I created this practice to provide convenient, respectful, and individualized care without judgment or unnecessary barriers. I was also frustrated that telehealth companies charge patients unnecessarily high prices and make treatment costs difficult to understand. Optima Vida Healthcare was founded to offer a more transparent and affordable alternative, with straightforward pricing and treatment decisions based on each patient’s individual needs—not pressure to purchase an expensive program.

My Education and Clinical Background

My nursing career began as a CNA working on the orthopedic/nurological floor of a major hospital. I then obtained my licensed practical nurse and worked in long-term care. While raising four children, I continued my education and progressed from CNA to LPN to registered nurse and eventually earned my Master of Science in Nursing as a family nurse practitioner.

I also hold a Certificate of Advanced Education in Obesity Medicine and regularly complete continuing education related to weight management, metabolic health, hormone health, and telemedicine.

My clinical interests include:

Medical weight management
GLP-1 and non-GLP-1 weight-loss medications
Menopause and women’s hormone health
Testosterone deficiency and men’s hormone health
Sexual health
Hair loss
Preventive and lifestyle-focused care

Treatment is never one-size-fits-all. Recommendations should reflect the patient’s medical history, current health, treatment goals, medication tolerance, preferences, and access to care.

My Personal Experience With Obesity

My interest in obesity medicine is both professional and personal.

I have lost approximately 150 pounds through gastric sleeve surgery, medication, nutrition changes, and long-term weight-management strategies. Before receiving effective treatment, I experienced the same frustration with the healthcare system that many patients with obesity know all too well. I was repeatedly told to “eat less and move more,” even though that approach was not working for me. When I tried to explain my experience, I often felt that providers did not believe me. The blame was placed entirely on me, as though my weight reflected a lack of effort, discipline, or willpower.

Those experiences shaped the way I care for my patients. Obesity is a chronic, complex condition influenced by biology, hormones, genetics, medications, environment, behavior, and many other factors. It is not a personal failure, and patients deserve evidence-based treatment without blame, shame, or judgment.

I also understand that losing weight and maintaining that loss are two different challenges. Weight regain, appetite changes, medication side effects, plateaus, body-image changes, and excess skin can all be part of the experience.

My own journey has included weight-loss surgery, medications to support long-term maintenance, and multiple skin-removal procedures. This experience does not mean every patient needs the same treatment I received. It does mean that I understand many of the physical and emotional realities that can accompany major weight loss.

Why I Founded Optima Vida Healthcare

Healthcare can sometimes feel rushed, impersonal, or difficult to access. Patients may leave appointments feeling unheard or unsure about what happens next.

I founded Optima Vida Healthcare to create a different experience—one built around education, collaboration, transparency, and realistic expectations.

My goal is to help patients understand:

What treatment options are available
What each option can and cannot accomplish
What side effects or risks may occur
How treatment will be monitored
When a medication or plan may need to change
When in-person or urgent medical care is more appropriate

A prescription is never guaranteed. Every treatment decision is based on an individual clinical evaluation, medical appropriateness, and applicable prescribing requirements.

My Approach to Patient Care

I believe patients should be active participants in their healthcare.

My role is not to pressure you into a particular treatment. It is to explain your options, discuss the potential benefits and risks, answer your questions, and help you make an informed decision. It is your health—not mine—and you remain in control of your choices. I am here to serve as your guide, advocate, and healthcare partner, offering the knowledge and support you need to choose the path that feels right for you.

My approach is:

Evidence-based: Treatment decisions are guided by current medical evidence and established clinical standards.
Individualized: Your health history and goals matter more than a generic treatment protocol.
Respectful: Patients deserve care without shame, stigma, or judgment.
Honest: I will be clear about expected benefits, limitations, risks, costs, and alternatives.
Collaborative: Your preferences are an important part of the treatment plan.
Safety-focused: Telehealth has limitations, and I will recommend in-person evaluation when it is the safer or more appropriate option.

Understanding Telehealth Care

Telehealth can make healthcare more accessible, but it does not replace every type of medical care.

Some concerns require laboratory testing, vital signs, a physical examination, imaging, urgent care, or emergency evaluation. When telehealth is not appropriate, I will explain what type of follow-up is recommended.

Optima Vida Healthcare is not a replacement for emergency services. Patients experiencing a medical emergency should call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

More Than a Healthcare Provider

Outside of work, I am a wife and mother of four. My family has experienced a less-than-traditional journey that included living in an RV and traveling across the United States while I completed nurse practitioner school and worked through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those experiences strengthened my adaptability, persistence, and appreciation for the many different ways people build their lives and families.

I know that health decisions do not occur in isolation. Work, parenting, finances, relationships, stress, transportation, medication access, and personal responsibilities can all affect a patient’s ability to follow a treatment plan. A good plan must work in real life—not only on paper.

Welcome to Optima Vida Healthcare

Whether you are seeking help with weight management, hormone health, sexual wellness, hair loss, or another service offered through Optima Vida Healthcare, my goal is to help you feel informed, respected, and supported.

Thank you for trusting me with your care. I look forward to getting to know you and helping you work toward your health goals.

Helpful Links

Author

Sarina Helton, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, CAE-OM
Founder and Family Nurse Practitioner
Optima Vida Healthcare

Contact

Optima Vida Healthcare, LLC
Telehealth medical services
support@ovhmed.com