Holy Spirit Cardiovascular Institute and Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute Sign Collaborative Surgery Agreement

Posted: 12 December 2012

Holy Spirit Cardiovascular Institute and Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute have signed a collaborative agreement for cardiac and thoracic surgery, to have physicians from Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute provide world-class cardiothoracic surgery at The Ortenzio Heart Center at Holy Spirit.

The agreement will optimize the use of existing, state-of-the art facilities in Camp Hill and Hershey, allowing physicians to be able to better meet the needs of the region’s residents, and expand the types of heart surgeries offered at The Ortenzio Heart Center at Holy Spirit.            

“Holy Spirit has always been innovative and collaborative in meeting community healthcare needs and adapting to and changing in a challenging environment,” says Rick Schaffner, senior vice president and chief operating officer at Holy Spirit Health System. “We’re always looking for ways to work more effectively, without compromising quality, access, service and value. When that means collaborating with other healthcare providers, we do that. We will continue to evaluate opportunities and partnerships if they bring value to the communities we serve.”

Drs. Vincent Park and John Pennock from the Holy Spirit Cardiovascular Institute will be joined by Drs. David Campbell, Michael Lazar, Walter Pae, Michael Reed, Behzad Soleimani, and Edward Stephenson from the Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute to provide a full spectrum of cardiac and thoracic procedures at The Ortenzio Heart Center at Holy Spirit.

Holy Spirit patients also will be able to take advantage of a robust, heart and vascular clinical research study program at Penn State Hershey.

“As an academic health center, we are eager to partner with a strong community hospital and health system like Holy Spirit that is nationally recognized for the quality of its cardiac program,” said Robin Wittenstein, chief operating officer, Penn State Hershey Health System. “This collaboration will enable our two systems to optimize our facilities and expertise to ensure that no one from central Pennsylvania needs to leave the region to access cutting-edge care and research related to heart and thoracic surgery.”

Holy Spirit provides the highest quality of comprehensive heart and vascular services, including state-of-the-art cardiac robotic surgery, advanced catheterization, electrophysiology and endovascular procedures.  Holy Spirit Hospital is designated as a Blue Distinctionâ Center for Cardiac Care and holds the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™ for health care quality for its heart attack care.

Penn State Hershey Heart and Vascular Institute is located on the campus of Penn State Hershey Medical Center.  With a team of more than 50 physicians and surgeons, the Heart and Vascular Institute treats common to complex heart and vascular conditions and has received Joint Commission accreditation for its heart failure program and for its program to implant left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) as destination therapy in patients with end stage heart failure. Building on a history of pioneering research in the area of heart pumps and artificial heart development, faculty and staff work to develop new medical and surgical interventions designed to save lives. The institute has a robust portfolio of clinical trials supported by approximately $10 million in research funding this year and a strong non-clinical research program investigating the causes of heart and vascular disease, which is designed to discover tomorrow’s treatment and cures.