Mock Trial '25-'26

Taylor Kelsey

Please state your name for the record.

My name is Taylor Kelsey.

Are you currently employed?

Well, I am a nurse practitioner, but am unemployed after what happened at my last place of work, Pain Away.

How long have you worked as a nurse practitioner?

I have been practicing as a nurse practitioner since I got my masters of science in nursing from Duke university in the mid 2010s.

What educational qualifications do you have?

I have my RN from ECU and masters of science in nursing from Duke University.

What got you interested in this line of work?

I wanted to help people feel well, I mean pain can be mental, so good care can be the difference between someone in pain and someone feeling ok. I got my masters of science in nursing because I wanted to have more of a clear place in the hospital.

Where did you start your journey as a nurse practitioner?

I had planned to return to Greenville, but fell in love with Hampton. It was just so cute. That was where I met Dr. Riley Shafer. I loved his philosophy, he had such a unique outlook, believing that pain could be managed effectively without drugs, only keeping them as a last resort

What is Pain Away?

Pain Away was a medical practice that would bring Dr. Shafer’s unique philosophy into real life. We tried our best to use more holistic methods such as acupuncture and electrostimulation in contrast to opioids.

What were your responsibilities at Pain Away?

Even though I was a nurse practitioner, I was also somewhat of a de facto office administrator as well, so I had some added responsibility.

How successful was Pain Away in its early years?

It was very successful! We became known for our alternative remedies and had a lot of word of mouth. I always say that “The best PR is always a happy client!” One client in particular, Jordan Teva, could not believe the results of the treatment. He went as far as to recommend his friends and family to us for their pain

What treatments, if any, did Jordan get at Pain Away?

Well Jordan had tennis elbow, so we used a combination of acupuncture and electrostimulation to treat his tendinitis. I mean, we prevented him from getting surgery, I considered it a big success. He also referred us to Casey Abbott.

What problems did Casey have?

Casey had a lot of lower back pain from an old skiing fall, I could tell it was tough for her. We managed to control the pain with minimal opioids, another success story.

How would you describe the clinic’s approach to pain management when it first opened?

We were doing great! We had new staff join, another doctor. Only 10% of our clients were on opioids, which was significantly lower than the national average. To me, it seemed like Dr. Shafer’s philosophy and ideas were coming to light and truly working. In fact, we had grown out of our space!

How did Pain Away expand after its early years?

As I said, we hired some new staff, but to elaborate we also garnered a wide reputation. We moved to a new space and were prominent enough that the mayor came to our opening ceremony. Dr. Shafer appeared on the Today show, a household name, to talk about the opioid crisis. Our patients loved the practice, and I did too

Did the clinic experience any notable challenges during this period?

Well… one big challenge was the damage to our reputation that Patricia Danica, a notable racecar driver, did after we treated her. She was experiencing some pain and after a procedure that did not go as intended, sued the office. We tried to continue working, but it was definitely difficult coupled with the effects of superstorm randy.

What effects did Superstorm Randy have on the clinic?

It truly set us back years. Everything was ruined, our space, our equipment. Plus, Dr. Shafer was liable for the loss because our insurance did not cover floods and he had taken out personal guarantees on loans. He had to declare bankruptcy and we had to close Pain Away. It seemed like my dreams were coming to an end, but we were able to rent a small office about six months later and reopen the office.

What changes did you observe in Pain Away after the re-opening?

At first, the new Pain Away was nice. It was nostalgic, just like it had been when I had first worked there, but as I continued there I noticed one big difference. We began to offer… a “fuller range” of treatments. This included what I had dreaded: narcotic painkillers, including Opioids. I was no longer working with the Dr. Shafer who had had the dream to reduce opioid usage. Plus, patient visits became a lot shorter, it made me feel like Pain Away was turning into a factory.

What precautionary actions, if any, were taken before the patients received opioids?

We did not really enforce many. In fact, we didn't even require urine testing for our patients. Of course, Dr. Shafer claimed that we were protecting their privacy and autonomy, but that was never a concern in the older days of the clinic.

What types of patients were being seen more frequently in later years?

We definitely had more regulars, but it wasn't necessarily a positive thing. Most of our regulars would receive prescriptions for opioids and narcotics even when complaining of only minor pain. It was in stark contrast to our personalized care that we had given in the past.

Did you notice any changes in Dr. Shafer after the reopening?

He had to file for bankruptcy after the flood and after… He just acted.. Different. A few weeks after Valentine’s day, Jordan Teva, a client and friend of his, tried to throw him a surprise party in an attempt to get him to have fun. Instead of trying to loosen up, Dr. Shafer got angry, fighting with Jordan and crying. It was definitely odd.

Did anything notable happen after?

On August 23rd, I went into the office because I forgot my phone and saw her injecting herself with something. I was so confused and hurt, he said that it was to dull the pain of loss and had been using since the court decision, six months.

What did you do after this incident?

Well I was going to contact the Utopia Medical Licensing board, but I just couldn’t. I didn’t want to lose my job, but more than that I had known him for so long and knew that his old philosophy still lived inside him somewhere. I was just heartbroken that he could act in such a way.

Let’s talk about Coach. When did Coach McAdoo first come to Pain Away?

Coach first came to Pain Away on January 14, 2020 after our good friend Jordan Teva brought her to the clinic. She was diagnosed to be suffering from something called “phantom pain,” which was basically undetectable on the scans we gave her. But, like I said earlier, pain can be mental which makes our care all the more important.

How was this so called “phantom pain” treated?

Well in the older days of the practice, it would have been treated with acupuncture and lidocaine, but the new practice, the new Dr. Shafer, treated it with hundreds of doses of oxycodone. It was sad to see how far the practice had strayed off of its original path. After the treatment, Coach became one of our regulars.

Did you observe any concerning discussions about Coach?

Yes, I did. I distinctly remember Dr. Shafer saying “Patients like Coach keep the doors open. Does my banker not understand cash flow?” to Jordan Teva during the party Jordan threw for the doctor. I also remember a strange interaction I saw between the two when Dr. Shafer was handing cash to Coach. Supposedly it had been for a horse racing bet. I was skeptical but I didn’t want to make things harder than they already were for Dr. Shafer.

Can you describe Coach’s visit on December 16, 2022?

Well Coach came in experiencing extreme pain. I mean she was shaking and sweating an extreme amount. Her symptoms reminded me of withdrawal cases I had treated in the past. Anyways, I recorded her symptoms and was making sure that she was not on anything else through the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP), but then Dr. Shafer came in and told me to “take a break.” I felt like something weird was going on. In all of the years that we had worked together, Dr. Shafer had never told me to take a break before.

What was the result of her visit?

As Coach walked out, she looked very happy, so I went to go check the patient management system, just to see how Dr. Shafer had treated her for her condition to improve so greatly. That is when I saw the single greatest dose of narcotics that Dr. Shafer had ever given to a patient coming through our office. I told myself that I would quit the next morning, even though I didn’t get the chance to because of Coach’s unfortunate passing that night. Dr. Shafer had strayed too far off of his original path.

What did you do after you learnt about her death?

After I learned about her death, I picked up my phone and called Dr. Shafer, I said “Riley, what did you do to Coach?” I didn’t hear a reply. The next day I went to the office to check the PDMP on Coach and realized that she had been on Xanax, which was a medication that did not mix well with opioids. I left the office crying and haven’t spoken to Dr. Shafer since. It’s hard realizing that someone I trusted so dearly could go so far astray in his values, and I hope that some good can still come from those values and from Coach’s death.