Jennifer Shelton, APRN, Joins Saint Joseph Berea

BEREA, Ky. (April 13, 2026) – Saint Joseph Health has announced that Jennifer Shelton, APRN, has joined Saint Joseph Medical Group – Primary Care in Berea. Shelton, a native of Richmond, said her decision to pursue medicine was shaped by her experience seeing nurses care for her mother in her final days.

“My mom died when I was 19,” she said. “I saw how caring the nurses were and I wanted to be a part of that.”

Shelton began her career in medical coding and billing, then earned her nursing degree from Eastern Kentucky University in 2015. Her nursing career has taken her through cardiology and surgical/endoscopic services, first at Baptist Health in Lexington then at Saint Joseph Berea. In 2019, she decided to focus her career on family medicine and returned to EKU, where she earned her master’s in nursing science–family nurse practitioner in May 2022. 

“Family medicine provides a great diversity, as far as patient population,” she said. “I enjoy being able to make a difference in people’s lives. You can grow with your patients and see the changes they’ve made in their lives. You can see you have made a difference in how they are going to live.”

Shelton enjoys getting to know her patients, but stresses they are in the driver’s seat. 

“I’ve always said the patient is the center of care,” she said. “You can come up with any plan, but if you haven’t taken into account your patient’s goals, you, and they, are not going to get very far.”

Outside of medicine, Shelton enjoys spending time with her partner and family, as well as their two Australian Shepherds. She also enjoys embroidery and quilting.

Shelton is accepting patients at the family medicine practice at Saint Joseph Berea, 305 Estill St. 4th Floor, Berea, KY. To make an appointment, call 859-986-2343. 

About Saint Joseph Health

Saint Joseph Health, part of CommonSpirit Health, is one of the largest and most comprehensive health systems in the Commonwealth of Kentucky with 100 locations in 20 counties, including hospitals, physician groups, clinics, primary care centers, specialty institutes, home health agencies and an ambulatory Care Center. The hospitals in Saint Joseph Health are Flaget Memorial Hospital, Saint Joseph Berea, Saint Joseph East, Saint Joseph Hospital, Saint Joseph Jessamine, Saint Joseph London, Saint Joseph Mount Sterling, and Women’s Hospital at Saint Joseph East. In total, the health system serves patients in 35 counties statewide. Saint Joseph Health is dedicated to providing a wide array of services toward a goal of building a healthier future for all. HI Saint Joseph Health embodies a strong mission and faith-based heritage and works through local partnerships to expand access to care in the communities it serves.

About the Saint Joseph Medical Group

Saint Joseph Medical Group is the employed provider network of Saint Joseph Health with 88 locations in 17 communities throughout central and eastern Kentucky.