Making sure people all across the UHS service area have access to the best heart care has long been a goal of the UHS Heart & Vascular Institute. To accomplish this, the Institute has expanded the heart services available at UHS Cardiology Norwich, UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital and UHS Delaware Valley Hospital. Cardiologists at these locations stay connected to their partners in Binghamton, creating a continuum of care for their patients. And now, UHS Sidney is also part of that network.
James O’Brien, MD, FACC, cardiologist at UHS Cardiology Norwich has seen firsthand how important this extended care can be. “For the people who frequent the Sidney clinic, this now provides significantly more access to potentially life-saving health care,” says Dr. O’Brien. “No longer do people have to drive two hours round-trip in order to have their heart looked at.”
Rotating visiting specialists, including surgeons and OBGYNs along with cardiac care team members, travel to Sidney. Sue Button, MSN, ANP-BC, nurse practitioner, travels to Sidney every Thursday with an office nurse to provide care.
“She brings some diagnostic equipment, but for the most part we do clinical follow-up and help patients tweak some of their treatments,” says Dr. O’Brien. “Just having physicians available to evaluate these patients makes a huge difference and can help determine if additional care and travel is necessary.” Along with this weekly visit, Sreekanth Kondareddy, MD, cardiologist at the UHS Heart & Vascular Institute, visits Sidney once a month to see patients and provide even more help to the people living there.
Dr. O’Brien notes that the community’s response to this expansion of services has been positive. “As far as I can tell, the people who live in Sidney are very happy that they now have this extra access to care, not only from the cardiologists, but also all specialists who visit,” says Dr. O’Brien. “It would get tiring having to drive so far, to Binghamton, every time they needed treatment, so we’re bringing the treatment to them to make everything easier.”
Ongoing hospital renovations at UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital are creating a new space for cardiopulmonary services, with an anticipated mid-year move into the new space. “It includes a cardiac rehab center, so patients will be able to get state-of-the-art cardiac rehab right here, without having to travel out of town daily or weekly,” says Dr. O’Brien.
At UHS Delaware Valley, Keyoor Patel, DO, cardiologist with the UHS Heart & Vascular Institute, sees patients weekly and serves as the clinical director of UHS Delaware Valley’s Cardiopulmonary Department and its certified Cardiac/Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program.
“Many of the more basic tests, such as event and holter monitoring, as well as echocardiograms, are offered locally, reducing the patients’ need to travel a long distance,” says Dr. Patel. “Having the cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program available in the local community is especially helpful, because it requires a commitment of two to three days per week, over several weeks. Although the beneficial effect of the program on patients’ lives is substantial, it would be very difficult to attend if not available locally.”
CARE WHERE YOU NEED IT
Find out more about the UHS Heart & Vascular Institute at nyuhs.org.
