Choptank Health expands access to care with new Easton nurse practitioner

Choptank Health expands access to care with new Easton nurse practitioner

Choptank Community Health System is expanding access to medical care in Talbot County by adding family nurse practitioner Adena Tufts, DNP, at its Easton Health Center.

Tufts brings experience in pediatric critical care, adult nursing, outpatient services, and public health. Her addition supports Choptank Health’s ongoing efforts to increase access to comprehensive care across Maryland’s Mid-Shore.

“Expanding access begins with having providers available where patients need care,” said Sara Rich, president and CEO of Choptank Community Health System. “Adena brings a broad nursing background and a strong understanding of the challenges people can face in getting care and managing their health.”

Tufts earned a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree with a family nurse practitioner specialty from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She also holds a master’s degree in public health with honors from American Military University and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Akron.

Her clinical training included primary care, urgent care, women’s health, and pediatric care. Her doctoral capstone project focused on improving screening for social needs that can affect patients’ access to care and ability to follow treatment plans. Her public health research examined measures to prevent obesity among African American adolescent girls in low-income communities.

Tufts’ nursing experience includes caring for critically ill children at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and helping children recover from surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. She also managed an outpatient clinic serving active-duty service members in South Korea and provided emergency and adult inpatient nursing care in military health settings.

Her work has included patient and family education, care coordination, staff training, and quality improvement. She also helped develop a behavioral health case management program to improve service members’ access to care.

“Patients benefit when their providers understand both their medical needs and the circumstances affecting their health,” Rich said. “Adena’s experience in nursing and public health will support our team’s work to provide connected, comprehensive care for our community.”

Choptank Community Health System provides medical, dental, behavioral health, and school-based health services throughout Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties, serving nearly 35,000 adults and children across Maryland’s Mid-Shore. New patients are welcome in all locations. For more information, visit www.ChoptankHealth.org.

Adena Tufts, DNP, has joined Choptank Community Health System as a family nurse practitioner at its Easton Health Center, supporting expanded access to medical care in Talbot County. Tufts brings experience in pediatric critical care, adult nursing, outpatient services, and public health. New medical patients are welcome at all Choptank Health locations, with more at www.ChoptankHealth.org.