Champlain Valley Hospital Adds Cardiac Surgery
Published Apr 15, 2007
CVPH Medical Center is widely known for the quality of its cardiac care.
Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital – a regional medical center serving Clinton, Franklin, Essex and St. Lawrence counties – is now a competitive player in the cardiac surgery and care fields, thanks to several recent upgrades.
The hospital’s Champlain Valley Heart Center recently completed dramatic physical and service expansions leading up to its first cardiac surgery in November 2004, according to Associate Vice President of Planning and Professional Services Debra Donahue. In addition, the center now offers the full spectrum of cardiac services – beginning with preventive education and ending with a highly professional cardiac rehabilitation program.
“Prior to [recent additions], we had a very good diagnostic program,” Donahue says. “We had a noninvasive cardiology program doing echocardiograms, EKGs and nuclear medicine studies. We also had a diagnostic catheterization lab.
Partnered with St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, CVPH’s Champlain Valley Heart Center is quickly gaining a reputation for its life-saving cardiac care.
Work on the program was extensive and required highly detailed planning and implementation.
“We did a renovation in the perioperative area to develop the open heart surgery suite,” Donahue says. “We also brought in a second cath lab this year to further develop the angioplasty and electrophysiology program. We did renovations on our progressive care unit to develop a more universal bed concept.”
Donahue says that such improvements enable post-angioplasty and cardiac surgery patients to stay in one room throughout most of their hospital stay, once they leave the ICU.
Dr. Edward Bennett Jr., head of the respected practice known as Albany Cardiothoracic Surgeons, now leads the cardiac surgery program at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany while simultaneously serving as the medical director of cardiac surgery at the Champlain Valley Heart Center.
“In assembling the Heart Center staff we were fortunate in attracting incredibly qualified, experienced professionals – all who were interested in the opportunity of establishing a program from the ground up,” says Stephens Mundy, CVPH Medical Center President and CEO. “Thanks must go to St. Peter’s Hospital of Albany – and in particular Dr. Edward Bennett who served in a mentoring role to help us establish the Heart Center. We have tried to emulate their incredibly successful program.
“However, what we feel sets us apart for patients are the quality and compassion of the staff. It starts with the nurse in Emergency and runs throughout the Heart Center and the Intensive and Progressive Care units.”
Story by Laurie C. Battles
Photo by Brian McCord
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