NURSE PRACTIONER TO ENHANCE CARE FOR NEUROLOGY PATIENTS

ELIZABETH CITY – Sentara Albemarle Medical Center (SAMC) announces the addition of Crystal Baker, NP-C, DNP to the hospital care team in Elizabeth City. Ms. Baker has nearly six years of experience providing neurological care as a nurse practitioner in critical, acute, and outpatient settings. Ms. Baker’s primary role at SAMC will be to support neurological services for patients within the inpatient setting and Emergency Department. Her scope of practice is as such:

·       Provide in-person consultation and management of patients within the inpatient setting in collaboration with Drs. Pamela Evans and Daniel Cohen of Sentara Neurology Specialists, who will be rounding via tele-neurology.

·       Respond to stroke alerts hospital-wide to provide rapid care to patients demonstrating stroke-like symptoms.

·       Enhance coordination of care for local patients who may require advanced treatment and follow up at other Sentara facilities and serving as a liaison between local patients and Sentara neurosurgical services.

·       Develop neuroscience service line and best practice for neurologic patients here at SAMC.

Prior to arriving at SAMC, Ms. Baker received six months of specialized training with providers within Sentara Neurology Specialists at Sentara Norfolk General, Leigh, and Obici Hospitals as well as training with the subspecialists within the group at the neurology offices of Fort Norfolk and Princess Anne. “We are excited to have Crystal on our team and dedicated to the neurological care of patients in northeastern North Carolina,” said Coleen Santa Ana, President of Sentara Albemarle Medical Center. “We want patients to know that with Crystal’s expertise, they will receive a higher level of neurological care in addition to having a concrete connection to the Sentara neurology team serving Hampton Roads.”

Prior to Ms. Baker’s experience in the field of neurology, she served as a surgical and internal medicine NP and as an ICU RN. She has subspecialty training within neurology as a Neurovascular NP where she treated patients with acute ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes stemming from complicated disease processes. Ms. Baker’s decision to specialize in neurology originates from her interest in the uniqueness of the brain. “Each brain is different, and each patient that I see requires quick and complex problem solving on my part,” said Ms. Baker. “My expertise in the area of stroke and other neurological disorders allow me to advocate for my patients’ needs for individualized care.”

Ms. Baker received her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Monmouth in West Long Beach, NJ where she completed a study that focused on Innovative Approach to Transient Ischemia Attack (TIA) Care. She received her Master’s in Family Nursing from Hampton University in Hampton, VA and Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, Alabama. Ms. Baker’s first day at SAMC was June 12^th.

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For more information, contact: 
Annya Soucy, Marketing and Communications Advisor
252-384-4075 | axsoucy@sentara.com