The New York State Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC) has approved certification for Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH) to offer interventional cardiology services to residents who would otherwise have to travel long distances during cardiac events when every second counts. The addition of percutaneous coronary interventions and electrophysiology, and the construction of a cardiac catheterization lab to the hospital’s already existing cardiology services, will improve access to residents of upper Westchester County to a Comprehensive Cardiac Center. The Center’s Cardiac Catheterization Lab, a joint program with Lenox Hill Hospital, will serve as a regional center of excellence for interventional and procedural cardiac care.
“This is a significant milestone for cardiac care in our community, where residents have had limited access to this life-saving medical care,” said NWH’s executive director Derek Anderson. “When someone has a cardiac event, rapid treatment is necessary to prevent irreparable damage to the heart. Access to high-quality cardiac care locally will enhance the health and well-being of our community.”
“The opportunity to bring our community greater access to this level of care has been a long-time priority and is the culmination of efforts to expand our cardiac program,” says outgoing hospital president and CEO Joel Seligman. “Since Northern Westchester and Lenox Hill Hospitals are both members of the Northwell Health system, our patients will receive care from some of the nation’s top cardiac physicians who have extensive training in high-risk cases.” Seligman added, “We are extremely thankful to Seema Boesky, long-time supporter of NWH, who has made a generous gift to NWH, one of the largest in the hospital’s history, which will enable us to operationalize the Cardiac Cath Lab and advance the level of care we provide to the community.”
The Center, which the hospital hopes to open in the first half of 2020, will provide diagnostic as well as interventional coronary angiography and stent placement for elective, urgent and emergency-level patients. In addition to the Cardiac Catherization Laboratory, the Center will feature an outpatient facility and specialized cardiac care for women. The 1,709-square-foot facility will be located on the second floor of NWH’s Wallace Pavilion and will be open 24-hours, seven days a week. It will add to NWH’s existing cardiology programs aimed at preventing, diagnosing and treating a full range of cardiovascular disease including an outpatient rehabilitation program located at NWH’s facility at Chappaqua Crossing.
Heart attacks are the result of blockages in blood vessels that carry oxygen and vital nutrients to the heart. When they last more than a few minutes, these blockages can cause permanent damage to heart muscle and tissue. The new facility will offer patients the gold standard of care, which in interventional cardiology means opening the artery within 90 minutes of first medical contact.
Carl Dietrich Reimers, MD, FACC, FSCAI an interventional cardiologist, and vice chairman, cardiology at Lenox Hill Hospital, and assistant professor of Cardiology at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, will serve as the Cardiac Catherization Lab’s on-site medical director. Garvey Rene, MD, FACC, FSCAI, of CareMount Medical, will serve as Associate Director, and Pat Soriano, DNP, RN, MSN, APRN-BC, will be managing the Center.
According to Dr. Reimers, interventional cardiologists will work at both NWH and Lenox Hill, rotating through both hospitals to maintain the highest level of skill and quality.
A leader in heart care, the cardiac program at Lenox Hill Hospital has been ranked among the top 5% of hospitals in the nation by Healthgrades for overall cardiac services for six years in a row. Its cardiology program was also recognized in U.S. News & World Report’s 2019-20 Best Hospital Rankings.
