UM Shore Regional Palliative Care Program welcomes new nurse practitioner

Easton, Md. – University of Maryland Shore Regional Health’s Palliative Care Program recently announced the addition of nurse practitioner Christina Ball, MS, AGACNP-BC, CNRN, to its team. Ball will provide palliative care support to patients in the UM SRH Palliative Care Program, which works collaboratively with a patient’s primary care and specialists’ team to relieve the stress and symptoms of serious or chronic illness.

“Christina is passionate about helping patients and their loved ones manage chronic or serious illness and maximize their quality of life,” says Lakshmi Vaidyanathan, MD, medical director, UM Shore Regional Palliative Care. “Her outstanding experience, leadership and credentials, as well as her familiarity with UM Shore Regional Health, make her an excellent addition to the Palliative Care team.”

Ball comes to UM SRH from Bayleigh Chase in Easton, where she was a nurse practitioner. She also has held positions as a nurse practitioner in Peninsula Regional Medical Center’s Neurology Department, was the University of Maryland Medical Center’s Comprehensive Stroke Center Coordinator in Baltimore, and moved up from staff nurse to clinical coordinator to neuroscience specialist with University of Maryland Shore Regional Health, where she worked for more than 10 years. In 2012, she was recognized as the recipient of the UM SRH Outstanding Achievement in Professional Nursing Award.

“Helping patients and their families manage a chronic or serious illness will help increase the patient’s quality of life, reduce hospitalizations and minimize caregiver strain. I am looking forward to helping patients navigate the often scary uncertainty of serious or chronic illness and provide them with comfort and high quality care, close to home,” Ball said.

Ball received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Stevenson University and her Master of Science in Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner from the University of Maryland Baltimore, where she was a clinical nurse specialist on the Trauma/Critical Care unit.

For more information or to request a palliative care consult, please contact the UM Shore Regional Palliative Care Program at 410-820-4434.

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~ University of Maryland Shore Regional Health’s Palliative Care Program