SPRINGFIELD - Kathleen Hill, M.S.N., nurse practitioner at the Center for Family Health-Springfield, was recently awarded Diplomat status with the Accreditation Council for Clinical Lipidology (ACCL).

Hill is one of the few nurse practitioners from across the nation to achieve this designation. ACCL Diplomats can use the title of “Clinical Lipid Specialist.”

The ACCL is a nonprofit certifying organization dedicated to reducing morbidity and mortality from dyslipidemia and related diseases by assessing qualifications and certifying knowledge in clinical lipidology. The Diplomat designation recognizes those allied health professionals who have distinguished themselves among their colleagues by having satisfied the credentialing and testing requirements established by the ACCL.

Receiving ACCL Diplomat status was very challenging and rewarding for Hill. The program required her to complete more than 200 hours of lipid-specific education, provide transcripts and other required educational material and complete a rigorous exam.

“I am very excited about having diplomat status because it represents the level of lipid expertise that is required for this title. It helps me to accurately assess my patient’s cardiovascular risk and to tailor their lipid treatment plans using the most appropriate medications along with nutrition and exercise prescription. Most importantly, this helps me to provide another tool for my patients to achieve their maximum amount of wellness,” Hill says.

Practitioners in the area of lipid management specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of cholesterol disorders known as dyslipidemia. Dyslipidemia may cause atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is responsible for approximately one-third of all deaths in the U.S.

Hill, a graduate of Neumann College with a B.S.N. in nursing, spent 10 years at Crozer-Chester Medical Center, first as a floor nurse and then as a nurse manager overseeing 3 South. Eventually, she moved to the Center for Family Health and has been there for the past eight years. “I wasn’t sure if I would like working with geriatric patients full time, but I love the energy of the older patients and coaching them to their highest level of wellness is very rewarding,” Hill says.

Hill’s love for her patients and their families and helping them get through difficult times motivated her to go back to school for additional courses and, eventually, a master’s degree. In 2006, Hill received an M.S.N. from the University of Pennsylvania, with a specialization in geriatrics. She also holds a Holistic Health Care Certificate from the Institute of Integrated Nutrition in Manhattan.

Her duties at the Center for Family Health include working with geriatricians, running the homebound program with up to 30 homebound patients, and working with end-of-life patients. “It is hard sometimes, but these patients have so many things to share with us,” Hill says.

The end-of-life patients have made Hill more passionate about cardiovascular risk reduction. “So many of these patients are living with the effects of strokes or heart disease, and I feel so limited in my ability to impact their quality of life,” she says.

Hill also runs groups for patients with diabetes at the Center. She works with patients with a strong family history of heart disease or other cardiovascular risk factors who want to do everything in their power to stay healthy. “It is rewarding to come up with a treatment plan and help them to stick to their goals,” Hill says.

The Center for Family Health, located at 1260 E. Woodland Ave., Suite 200, features a full scope of family medical and health services for people of all ages. Services include general medical care, wellness and preventive services, obstetrical and prenatal care, newborn and pediatric care, weight management, treatment of work and sports injuries and minor emergencies, lab and other tests, nutritional counseling, and special services for the elderly.

For more information about dyslipidemia and the field of lipidology, visit the National Lipid Association website at www.lipid.org. For more information or to schedule an appointment with the Center for Family Health, call (610) 690-4490.