Beaufort Memorial adds experienced nurse practitioner to Pulmonary Specialists practice

To promote respiratory health and provide greater access to pulmonary care for area residents, Beaufort Memorial has added an experienced and board-certified nurse practitioner to its Beaufort Memorial Pulmonary Specialists practice in Okatie.




Risa Linford, AGACNP-BC, works as part of the Pulmonary Specialists clinical team to prevent, diagnose and treat acute and chronic diseases and conditions of the respiratory system. Among her professional interests are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and critical care.




Coming from “a very long line of nurses,” the Charleston native says she wanted from an early age to follow them into the nursing profession. Pulmonary medicine became her passion during an intensive care unit rotation in nursing school.




Most recently Linford served as an intensive care nurse practitioner at MUSC Health in Charleston, directly managing care for multiple critically ill or injured surgical, trauma and burn patients, and as a registered nurse in Beaufort Memorial’s cardiac catheterization lab. Previously she worked as a nursing supervisor and earlier an RN in the Greenville Health System’s medical-surgical intensive care unit (ICU) in Greenville.




Linford holds a Master of Science in Nursing from University of South Carolina in Columbia and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from University of Phoenix in Phoenix, Arizona.




At Pulmonary Specialists, located in Beaufort Memorial Okatie Medical Pavilion, 122 Okatie Center Blvd., Okatie, the clinical team brings in-depth knowledge of the respiratory system and broad-based expertise in diagnosing and treating the diseases and conditions that affect it and related organ systems.




To make an appointment with either provider at Beaufort Memorial Pulmonary Specialists, call 843-707-8040. To learn more about lung and respiratory care available at Beaufort Memorial, visit BeaufortMemorial.org/LungCare.