February Is Heart Month, and St. Joseph’s Is the #1 Cardiovascular Care Hospital in CNY

Syracuse, NY (February 1, 2016) – St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center holds a dozen different accreditations, certifications, and recognitions for cardiovascular care. St. Joseph’s is the only hospital in CNY to have earned:

1. Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Blue Distinction Center+ for Cardiac Care
2. Consumer Reports top 15 heart surgery centers in the U.S.
3. U.S. News & World Report #12 hospital in New York, and Top 100 in the U.S. for heart surgery
4. Becker’s 100 Hospitals with Great Heart Programs
5. Number 1 hospital for vascular surgery in New York State, and among the top five percent in the nation by HealthGrades® for vascular surgery, with 5 Star Rating for Valve Replacement Surgery
6. Chest Pain with PCI and Resuscitation Accreditation from Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care
7. Heart Failure Accreditation from Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care
8. ACE Accreditation for Cardiac Catheterization from Accreditation for Cardiovascular Excellence
9. Academy of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation re-certification
10. American Association of Critical-Care Nurses “Gold level” Beacon Award for excellence in critical care nursing for the Surgical Intensive Care Unit
11. And the only Magnet-designated hospital in the region
12. 2016 Women’s Choice Award

And this resource in our backyard!

February is Heart Month, and it should come as no surprise that this is a big deal at St. Joseph’s. The hospital performed the first open heart surgery in 1958, and was the third center in the United States to perform angioplasty. St. Joseph’s has continued to lead the way in the prevention, detection and treatment of heart disease; most recently, successfully performing the first MitraClip procedures in CNY.

St. Joseph’s will be hosting or participating in several events this month, including its feature “Be a Lifesaver” event on Saturday, February 13-14 at Destiny USA.

The reach of St. Joseph’s cardiac care extends far beyond CNY, though. Last April, an 18-year-old boy from Haiti was selected to travel to Syracuse, specifically St. Joseph’s, to have live-saving heart surgery. In September of 2015, three doctors and three other members of the St. Joseph’s cardiac team traveled all the way to Romania to perform heart surgeries. And then in November, the Romanian team visited St. Joseph’s to observe best practices and surgeries in the cardiac department.

Cardiac care goes beyond doctors and technology, though. The cardiac patients at St. Joseph’s are also receiving more than 300 visits per month from volunteers at Mended Hearts of Greater Syracuse – part of the largest heart patient support network in the world, made up of volunteers who have survived heart disease and offer support to other heart patients, their families, friends and caregivers.

In addition to these many accolades, and the events being held throughout the month, several of St. Joseph’s buildings will also be lit up in red for heart health awareness starting today and throughout the month of February.

For more information about St. Joseph’s award-winning cardiac care, visit www.sjhsyr.org/cardiac.

St. Joseph’s Health is a non-profit regional health care system based in Syracuse, N.Y., providing services to patients throughout Central New York and northern Pennsylvania. From primary to specialty to home care, to our Magnet-recognized hospital, and in collaboration with our community partners, St. Joseph's coordinated approach ensures our patients achieve optimum long-term health. Ranked top 15 heart surgery centers in the U.S. and a 15-time winner of the National Research Corporation Consumer Choice award, St. Joseph’s is affiliated with Franciscan Companies and St. Joseph’s Physicians.

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