From staff reports
Beaufort Memorial has added a board-certified nurse practitioner to its medical assisted therapy (MAT) clinic.
At the clinic, Kathryn Sams, DNP, APRN, FNP-C, CNE, will engage patients in addressing physical, behavioral and social issues related to substance abuse and evaluate the appropriateness of combining medical assisted therapy (MAT) with other therapies to treat addiction. A strong believer in partnering with patients to take ownership of their situation, she works with them to develop a treatment plan that considers all areas of their life and connects them to available recovery resources and support services.
A Minnesota native with a passion for nursing, Sams has spent nearly her entire career in family practice and urgent care settings where she provided a full range of medical and diagnostic services, including annual physicals, walk-in care, and treatment of chronic and acute conditions, as well as alcohol and substance abuse.
Sams earned her doctoral degree in nursing practice from Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. She remained in the Fort Worth area until moving to the Lowcountry in 2021 to join a family medicine practice. She holds a Master and Bachelor of Science in nursing, both from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minn.
At the private MAT clinic, Sams joins Addiction Medicine Program Medical Director Phil Cusumano, M.D., FACP, to offer a multi-faceted approach to identifying, treating and preventing opioid and other substance abuse disorders in adults 18 years or older.
“Patients addicted to opiate prescription medications or illegal opiates can experience withdrawal symptoms when not using opioids and continue to use them despite negative consequences,” said Cusumano who, with the hope of helping mitigate some of the effects of the current opioid epidemic, helped develop the MAT program at Beaufort Memorial in 2021.
If concerned about issues with alcohol, tobacco or drugs, speak with a primary care provider or call 843-522-7290 to make an appointment with Sams or Cusumano.
