KINGSTON, N.Y. (February 21, 2023) — Heart specialists at HealthAlliance Hospital, a member of the Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth), have already performed more than 100 lifesaving cardiac procedures in patients with acute heart attacks since HealthAlliance Hospital's launch of advanced service cardiac catheterization laboratory services at the hospital less than two years ago. More than 700 procedures have been performed in the laboratory in total with more than 60 procedures - including lifesaving interventions - occurring at the new HealthAlliance Hospital in just the last two months.
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| Falak Shah, MD |
Prior to the launch of the service in July 2021 many of these cardiac emergencies would have been transferred to another healthcare facility outside of Ulster County, resulting in the loss of precious minutes for a potentially lifesaving intervention. Now community members are getting the emergent heart care they need close to home.
"The opening of the advanced service cardiac catheterization laboratory at HealthAlliance Hospital two years ago represented a giant leap forward in the local availability of essential care services for heart attacks, blocked arteries, and abnormal heart rhythms," said HealthAlliance Hospital Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory Director Falak Shah, MD.. "The volume of patient cases illustrates the need we are meeting and further demonstrates WMCHealth's commitment to improving accessibility to quality care. We are thrilled to have had a positive impact on so many local lives."
An Even Higher Level of Service in New HealthAlliance Hospital
The advanced cardiac catheterization service at HealthAlliance Hospital got an additional boost with the opening of the new HealthAlliance Hospital in December 2022.
While the new HealthAlliance Hospital offers the same comprehensive cardiac services that debuted more than a year ago, the community is now benefiting from WMCHealth's long-term strategic partnership with global health technology leader Philips, which provided the latest imaging technologies for HealthAlliance Hospital's use in its new, state-of-the-art facility. The new technologies help medical imaging technicians capture patient scans fast, with enhanced clarity for more accurate diagnoses of patient conditions.
Furthermore, the HealthAlliance Hospital advanced service cardiac catheterization laboratory operates under the direction of WMCHealth's comprehensive Heart and Vascular Institute.
The cardiac catheterization laboratory at HealthAlliance Hospital is the only one of its kind in Ulster County and is also the closest care option for many in the region requiring interventional cardiology services. For more information about the advanced service cardiac catheterization laboratory at HealthAlliance Hospital, interested community members should visit HAHV.org/Cardiac-Catheterization-Laboratory.
About Westchester Medical Center Health Network
The Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is a 1,700-bed healthcare system headquartered in Valhalla, New York, with nine hospitals on seven campuses spanning 6,200 square miles of the Hudson Valley. WMCHealth employs more than 13,000 people and has nearly 3,000 attending physicians. The Network has Level I (adult and pediatric), Level II and Level III trauma centers, the region's only acute care children's hospital, an academic medical center, several community hospitals, dozens of specialized institutes and centers, Comprehensive and Primary Stroke Centers, skilled nursing, assisted living facilities, home-care services and one of the largest mental health systems in New York State. Today, WMCHealth is the pre-eminent provider of integrated health care in the Hudson Valley. For more information about WMCHealth, visit WMCHealth.org or follow WMCHealth on Facebook.com/WMCHealth or Instagram.com/WMCHealth.