St. Joseph’s Health CEO Luke discusses new cardiovascular center

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Heart disease is responsible for “roughly” one-in-four deaths in the U.S. and is the second-leading cause of early death in New York, according to data from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

St. Joseph’s Health president and CEO Leslie Luke cited the statistics in his opening remarks at the Aug. 16 event to open the organization’s new cardiovascular center.

“Whether we’re facing chronic heart conditions or acute conditions such as what my father experienced, it’s very imperative that we fund research and provide education to encourage heart healthy living so that people are able to prevent heart disease and live healthier lives,” Luke told the gathering at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center.

The $32 million cardiovascular center, which is located inside the hospital, is part of the St. Joseph’s Health Cardiovascular Institute, according to St. Joseph’s Health.

The 45,000-square-foot center includes all of St. Joseph’s cardiovascular services in one location, Luke told BJNN in an interview after the formal-opening event.

“So for our patients, it’s easy now. Instead of going to various locations on our campus, they can just go to one place,” he added.

About the project

The Hayner Hoyt Corporation of Syracuse handled the renovation work, and Dwyer Architectural of Syracuse provided the design work on the project.

In addition to the new, expanded electrophysiology lab that opened last year, the new cardiovascular center renovated existing space to consolidate four previously-separate work areas for catheterization, electrophysiology, interventional radiology, and access into one central location, St. Joseph’s Health said in a news release about the center.

The project also added 15 additional patient bays for a total 40 patient bays, seven special-procedure rooms, a new hybrid operating room, and a new patient-tracking system so visitors know the status of their family member’s treatment.

The center is named for Dr. A. John Merola, who has been “closely aligned” with St. Joseph’s Health for more than 50 years. He helped create the family-medicine residency program in the 1970s, St. Joseph’s Health said.

Merola serves as the honorary chairman for the 150th anniversary campaign and donated a $3 million contribution toward the project.

“It is my hope that many [people] will breathe easier because of this new cardiovascular center. It’s obvious that many patients will breathe easier but so will the physicians, nurses, technicians, and the entire staff,” Merola told the gathering during the event.

In his remarks, David Panasci, chairman of the St. Joseph’s Foundation board of directors, said the cardiovascular center is among the projects targeted in the organization’s 150th anniversary campaign.

“At this time, we have raised over $16 million toward our $20 million goal,” Panasci added, thanking those who have contributed to the campaign.

The fundraising effort won’t cover the entire cost of the projects that the campaign is targeting, Luke told reporters when the St. Joseph’s announced the effort in June 2017. The rest of the funding will come from St. Joseph’s own equity with no borrowing involved, Luke added.