Local nurse practitioner sets up a different way to handle healthcare

ASHEBORO — Kirstie Ferrell felt hushed and unheard when her son Jai was on his deathbed. She’s turned that experience into her own medical clinic in which “patients never feel like a number.”

A family nurse practitioner, Ferrell opened Hushed and Unheard Medical & Wellness in January in the Chevy Center on South Fayetteville Street in Asheboro. She moved her practice in June to Suite C at 727 S. Fayetteville St. 

Ferrell is assisted by Carol Ascencio, the clinical lead and Ferrell’s “right hand.”

Hushed and Unheard was “birthed from pain,” Ferrell said. “I lost my son in 2023. He was 21.”

Jai was hit by a stray bullet while doing a favor for someone else. Taken to a hospital, he died two weeks later after being “cleared to discharge.”

Ferrell said that during his time in the hospital, “Whenever I voiced concern, I wasn’t taken seriously. He went from cleared to discharge to deceased.”

Before Jai died, she said, he forgave the person who fired the bullet.

“People feel hushed and unheard when they go to the doctor,” Ferrell said. “That’s why the name. I want to be personable with patients and not boxed in by insurance. Patients can talk to me on the phone or text me.”

Hushed and Unheard takes patients from age 11 to end of life.

According to the website, hushedandunheard.com, “She listens carefully, explains options in plain language, and develops evidence-based care plans around each patient’s goals, health, and daily life.

“Care may include prevention, chronic-condition support, women’s health, hormone evaluation, medical weight management, IV therapy, and wellness services.

“... At Hushed and Unheard, I take time to explain what is happening, welcome questions, and consider the pressures and responsibilities that affect your health. You should leave with clarity and a plan, not another list of uncertainties.”

Ferrell admitted that she was “ready to hang up the white coat but God said ‘no.’ It’s the biggest faith walk I have taken in my life. Our product is our heart.”

Hushed and Unheard offers memberships in primary care but also one-time, same-day, limited-focus visits. The clinic provides not only primary care but also ongoing health for specific concerns, women’s health, mental health support and wellness services. 

Asked to name a success story, Ferrell told of a 16-year-old student who wanted to lose weight. After getting to know him, receiving his health history and talking about nutrition, she started him on a weight-loss medicine.

“He has lost almost 50 pounds,” she said. “He’s like a new person, more outgoing. He made a whole lifestyle change. He feels heard.”

That’s just one example of patients finding themselves heard. Ferrell said, “We look at the person as a whole and ask, ‘What can we do to help?’ It’s the mind, body and spirit. Some are looking for a Jesus-friendly clinic. Sometimes we start with the spirit, but we don’t push that on the patient.”

At Hushed and Unheard you won’t find a crowded waiting room. In fact, most patients are on a schedule and meet with Ferrell for 30 minutes. The initial visit can be from an hour to 90 minutes so Ferrell can learn all about their medical history and needs.

“We want to give care without the stress of seeing so many patients,” she said. “The patient is given a number to call or text me. They know they have me if they need me.

“I’ve always had a heart for people and not pushing people out,” Ferrell said. “I have stayed during lunch. I think about how I’d want my family treated.

“Carol and I work together. I don’t want her to call me boss and I learn from her. It’s just us and the patient. If it’s important to you, it’s important to me, even if it’s just your toenail.

“If I’m rushed I can’t educate the patient. We’re trying to make a difference here, to listen to what that patient wants to see. A lot of what we do is what the patient wanted.

“We’re not in competition but how to bridge the gap, how to keep people healthy,” Ferrell said. 

To find out what all Hushed and Unheard has to offer and membership information, visit hushedandunheard.com.