Garnet Health Medical Center first hospital in Orange County to receive State DOH approval for cardiac surgery program

Garnet Health Medical Center has recently been granted New York State Department of Health conditional approval to expand cardiology services and develop Orange County’s first cardiac surgery program. 

The cardiac surgery program at Garnet Health’s Peter Frommer, MD Heart Center at 707 East Main Street in Middletown is estimated to begin in the fourth quarter of 2022 and will be in affiliation with Columbia HeartSource.  Garnet Health will also have a training arrangement with  NewYork-Presbyterian to train nurses and surgical techs. 

Surgical leadership will be provided by Site Director Michael Argenziano, MD, Chief of Adult Cardiac Surgery at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia, under the guidance of Columbia HeartSource leaders Craig Smith, MD, Chair of Columbia’s Department of Surgery and surgeon-in-chief at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia, and Allan Schwartz, MD, Chief of NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia’s Division of Cardiology. 

“Development of a cardiac surgery program at Garnet Health is a huge advancement in heart care for the region,” said Scott Batulis, Garnet Health President & CEO. “In 2019 alone, 625 people had to travel out of Orange, Sullivan and southern Ulster counties for their cardiac surgery. Garnet Health’s cardiac surgery program will enable our community to receive top-notch cardiac care and still remain close to home, family and friends.”

Over the next year, Garnet Health will develop the cardiac surgery program, which includes the renovation of almost 3,000 square feet of space on the first floor of the hospital to construct two cardiac surgery operating rooms and a Hybrid operating room in space that was preplanned during the original design of the hospital which opened in 2011. 

Garnet Health Medical Center has a strong history of providing advanced heart care. The hospital was the first in the county to offer a diagnostic cardiac catheterization lab and was the first to offer diagnostic, emergency and elective angioplasty to the community and surrounding area. Additionally, Garnet Health Medical Center has been named by Healthgrades as one of the 100 best hospitals nationally for cardiac intervention (2017-2021) and recognized as a Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Heart Attack for 5 Years in a Row (2018-2022) and a Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Heart Failure in 2022. US News & Report has recognized Garnet Health Medical Center as high performing in treatment of congestive heart failure and heart attack. 

To learn more about cardiology services at Garnet Health or find a Garnet Health Doctor cardiologist visit www.garnethealth.org/services/heart-care.