Mindy Thomas, DNP, FNP-C, CCRN, and Hummingbird Healthcare: Promoting a Balanced Lifestyle

This Olathe-born and raised healer represents how we can leave our comfort zone and dive deep into the unknown, exciting and rewarding life waiting on the horizon. Mindy Thomas, DNP, FNP-C, CCRN, gets to know each of her clients personally, and devises individualized treatment tailored to each unique woman. Choosing hormones to navigate the change in life can change your life! 

“I never thought I would be in healthcare as a kid. I was bad at science and math so I never considered it an option,” Mindy explained. “While I was attending MidAmerica Nazarene University, I studied abroad in Costa Rica. This experience truly changed my life! I learned to speak Spanish but was also exposed to a kind of poverty I had never seen before. We traveled to Nicaragua, Guatemala and Cuba. We saw people in Nicaragua and Guatemala literally living in the city dump. 

Time of Decision
“Two things occurred to me during that time that have informed my life and my career. One, it is my responsibility as a person who has the ability financially, mentally and physically to be educated to use that to serve others who don’t get that same benefit,” she continued. “Two, I may not be naturally great at science or math, but I can learn and there are resources all around to help me. With those two things in mind, I took the prerequisites at Johnson County Community College, applied and was accepted into nursing school at KU.”

After graduating in 2008, she spent over 13 years working in the Emergency Department and ICU at KU Medical Center. This work in critical care with people in some of the most difficult moments of their lives impelled her to her profession today.

She graduated from University of Missouri-Columbia in 2020 with her doctorate in nursing and became a family nurse practitioner. She currently works at a family practice in Kansas City that serves a largely Hispanic population. Hummingbird Healthcare opened in 2021 and is her passion project because she firmly believes that prevention of disease is the best form of healthcare. 

Holistic Practice
“There are many great things to say about modern medicine and many critiques of it as well. In an average clinic, the system allows only 15 minutes with a patient and that includes the check-in time that the nurse or medical assistant uses to take vitals and review meds,” she continued. “No wonder people leave confused on what to do and how to take their medications. With Hummingbird Healthcare, I do not take insurance. I recognize that is limiting for some people. However, it allows me to do things like spend an hour with a client to really get to know and understand their concerns. I am in direct, frequent contact with my clients because this is meant to be a personalized, holistic approach to women’s health. It’s also a positive that telehealth visits are now the norm.”

The majority of her clients are women nearing or post-menopause. “I also treat women who have difficulty losing weight, hypothyroidism or heavy and painful periods,” Mindy noted. “We plan to add personal training and a nutritionist to support weight loss goals.” She is certified to teach yoga and is a certified breath coach; she uses these techniques to help people with anxiety or trouble sleeping.

She realizes that some may question hormone therapy versus medication, and she’s working toward certification in hormone therapy. It’s her belief the research shows it can be safe and effective in treating symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, palpitations, difficulty losing weight, memory impairment, loss of libido, vaginal dryness and painful intercourse, as well as in preventing osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s dementia, loss of muscle mass, cardiovascular disease and strokes.

Family Practice
Mindy’s husband, Steve, is incredibly supportive. Together they have a ten-year-old son, Matthew, and the blended family includes her 20-year-old stepson, Marc, and two dogs, Frankie and Beanie. She manages her own stress with daily yoga and meditation.

Her husband proposed the name Hummingbird. “It is meaningful to me,” she smiled. “Prior to nursing school, a friend I respect gave me a book titled The Hummingbird’s Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea, set in Mexico. It’s about a girl who becomes a healer using herbs and practices passed down to her from the elderly medicine women, then she realizes she has an almost supernatural ability to heal any sickness. I was honored when my friend gave me the book and have always treasured it. I have a tattoo on my back with some of the book’s cover art. Steve knew this and came up with the name. It seemed like a good fit.

Visit www.hummingbirdhealthcare.com for more information; the blog provides free education as does Facebook and Instagram. A client who refers a friend receives a free month of medication management.