Maryland’s Health Matters - St. Joseph - Spring 2018 - 3

A HEALTHY START

WELCOME Nurse Practitioner Kim West
to Hereford Health Park
UM SJMC Health Park at Hereford

American College of Cardiology and the

welcomes highly experienced nurse

American Heart Association lowered

practitioner Kim West, CRNP. With

the definition of high blood pressure to

a background in hospital, emergency

130/80 from 140/90.
"In primary care, we've always consid-

and primary care nursing, West offers

ered prehypertension as hypertension and

a wealth of experience to the community.

counseled patients on lifestyle changes,"

"My 20-plus years of experience in
geriatric and adult medicine has made me

says West. "We are more aggressively

a very good diagnostician with a depth

treating high blood pressure since it leads

and breadth of ability to assess and treat

to stroke and heart attack. Diet, exercise

a variety of conditions," says West.

Kim West, CRNP

and medication are all very important. We

West is pleased to return to practice

see patients for follow-up and may send

in northern Baltimore County, where she

them home with a blood pressure cuff to

was on staff at Greater Baltimore Medical
Center's Hunt Valley and Hunt Manor
locations for nine years. Most recently, she
worked at a clinic on the Eastern Shore
where she served an underinsured, underserved population and "was very active in
dealing with the opioid crisis," she adds.

PREVENTING
CHRONIC DISEASE
"I encourage patients to be very engaged
in their health care," says West. "Together
we create a plan for their good health.

"I encourage
patients to be
very engaged
in their
health care.
Together we
create a plan
for their good
health."

monitor themselves."
West has implemented a new telehealth
tool, using Skype and a secure program
to follow up with patients from the comfort
of their own homes or work.

THE OPIOID CRISIS
In addition, West is interested in helping
families and individuals affected by the
opioid crisis, assuring discretion, privacy
and appropriate referral. For several years,
she worked for the Center for Addiction
Medicine in Baltimore.
West received her master's in nursing

I help motivate them to adopt healthy
lifestyles. I try to keep them from crossing

from the University of Maryland School of

over into chronic diseases like diabetes

Nursing and has a bachelor's in nursing from

and heart disease."

the University of Delaware.

MANAGING HIGH
BLOOD PRESSURE
At the heart of any primary care practice is helping patients manage or even
avoid high blood pressure. In 2017, the

CONTACT US
To make an appointment with Kim West, CRNP, or to
schedule a visit with any of the health practitioners at
UM St. Joseph Health Park at Hereford, call 443-491-3333.

umstjoseph.org | Spring 2018

 3
http://www.umstjoseph.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maryland’s Health Matters - St. Joseph - Spring 2018
