February 23, 2010

For Immediate Release 

Southern Regional to seek CON for open heart surgery; Asks Southern Crescent citizens for support

Southern Regional Medical Center announced today it had filed an application with the Georgia Department of Community Health for state approval to provide open heart surgery services and called on residents of the Southern Crescent to support the request.

"In 2009, nearly 600 Southern Crescent residents had to undergo open heart surgery, and every single one of them had to leave the area to get that critical, life-saving procedure," said Ron Dodson, chairman of the Southern Regional Board of Directors.  "The region is home to 850,000 people, but not one open heart program.  That's a big problem, and it's one Southern Regional is determined to correct."

Dodson and Southern Regional CEO Clint Matthews said the formal application for an open heart certificate of need (CON) with the Georgia Department of Community Health was filed Monday.  The review and decision process should take 120 days.

"We have a compelling case that a legitimate need for open heart surgery exists in our service area, and that Southern Regional is the right hospital to provide it," said Dodson, who also represents part of Clayton County in the Georgia House of Representatives.  "But community support will be vital in this process, and I strongly urge the citizens of this region to get behind this effort.  The Department of Community Health needs to hear from the people of the Southern Crescent that they need and want this service, and that they're willing to support it."

Dodson said citizens could learn more about Southern Regional's plans - and how they can support them - by going to a new section on the hospital's Web site, http://openheart.southernregional.org/.

Dodson himself suffered a heart attack four years ago and wound up being stabilized at Southern Regional before being taken to Crawford Long Memorial Hospital (now Emory Midtown), where doctors performed an angioplasty.

Within a few months after Dodson's heart attack, Southern Regional was selected for participation in the prestigious Johns Hopkins Cardiovascular Patient Outcomes Research Team study, better known as C-PORT.  Under C-PORT, Southern Regional is allowed to perform low-risk angioplasty without open heart surgery.  Patients with high risk conditions continue to be transferred to a hospital with open heart capabilities.

"I was very fortunate," said Dodson, "and I got superb care at both hospitals.  But an experience like that makes you appreciate just how important it is to have the full spectrum of cardiac care close to home.  When it comes to your heart, time is muscle.  I lost 40 percent of my heart muscle in the time it took to stop my heart attack." 

"We need to add open heart surgery so we can provide care to all patients with heart disease," he added.  "The simple fact of the matter is that the traffic congestion between the Southern Crescent and downtown Atlanta constitutes a barrier to access to open heart surgery.  This is a large and vulnerable population that needs and deserves better access to this life-saving procedure."

Matthews, the hospital CEO, said Southern Regional was well prepared to establish and operate an open heart surgery program. 

"Our cardiology program has been more than 30 years in the making," he said.  "We operate a fully accredited chest pain center, and our emergency department  sees approximately 7,000 patients with cardiac conditions each  year.  We were one of a select number of hospitals chosen to participate in the Johns Hopkins Cardiovascular Patient Outcomes Research Team study, which began in 2006.  Last year we were accredited to provide leading-edge echocardiographic services, which is a non-invasive approach to detecting and managing cardiac disease.  We also made history last year by becoming the first hospital in Atlanta to implant a pacemaker equipped with wireless technology, which notifies physicians of changes in the condition of the patient or the device itself."

Matthews added that because of continuing improvements to Southern Regional's operating rooms and related medical technologies, the hospital could make the physical improvements necessary to perform open heart surgery in a relatively short period of time and for an investment of less than $3 million.  "With timely state approval, we anticipate being able to begin offering open heart surgery services by January 1, 2012," he said.