WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital has expanded its cardiac services and enhanced its treatment facilities to benefit local heart patients and bring advanced care close to home.
Beginning this week, the hospital started offering advanced, interventional heart care to patients needing either emergency or scheduled cardiac procedures.
Services available at the hospital will include catheterization treatments for patients with blockages in their arteries, including angioplasty and stent therapy.
Other cardiac procedures offered at WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital include electrophysiology services to treat heart rhythm irregularities; diagnostic catheterization to view blockages around the heart; stress testing to diagnose heart disease; and electrocardiograms (EKGs) to understand the heart’s electrical signals.
“With these advanced treatment procedures now available, our patients can receive a range of heart services close to home – from preventative care and diagnostics, to medical and interventional treatments, to cardiac rehabilitation,” said Jane Hyde, senior vice president, WellSpan Health, and president, WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital.
The specialists of WellSpan Cardiology will perform the procedures at WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital’s newly renovated catheterization lab, which is equipped with the latest technology and equipment.
“With the addition of these services, we can check for blockages and then perform any necessary intervention at the same time in most cases, making the experience much easier on the patient,” said WellSpan interventional cardiologist Richard Howard, M.D., who joined WellSpan in February 2018.
Howard added that providing these procedures locally means more than just convenience for patients and families – it can often be a matter of life and death.
“The sooner we can open a blocked artery during a heart attack, the better a patient’s chances are of making a full recovery,” Howard said. “Having this technology and expertise available locally is a huge investment that will have a significant impact on outcomes in our community.”
About WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital
WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital is a 76-bed facility located in historic Gettysburg and serves the communities of Adams County and northern Maryland. The hospital offers services that include neurosciences, orthopedics, oncology and infusion, OB/GYN and interventional heart and vascular. Other services available include telemedicine for stroke care. The hospital opened a renovated emergency department in 2012. WellSpan Gettysburg Hospital was founded in 1921 and became part of WellSpan Health when the health system formed in 2001.
About WellSpan Health
WellSpan Health is an integrated health system that serves the communities of central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland. The organization is comprised of a multispecialty medical group of more than 1,200 physicians and advanced practice clinicians, a regional behavioral health organization, a home care organization, six respected hospitals, more than 15,000 employees, and more than 140 patient care locations. WellSpan is a charitable, mission-driven organization, committed to exceptional care for all, lifelong wellness and healthy communities.