CHESAPEAKE, Va. — It's a new chapter of medical history for Chesapeake Regional Medical Center. In January 2023, the hospital announced approval from Virginia Health Commissioner Dr. Colin Greene to offer open-heart surgery.
Since then, the hospital has worked to prepare state-of-the-art facilities and fill new staff positions.
Dr. Edward Coleman was brought on to lead the new team.
"Chesapeake Regional has been identified as one of the top hospitals in the area for saving lives after a heart attack, and they have great results with stroke intervention." Dr. Coleman said. "Adding cardiac surgery to that is vital to the health of the community."
The hospital plans to perform its first open-heart surgery soon. Dr. Coleman brings decades of experience to the new program.
"Forty years ago, I started taking care of patients in an ICU," Dr. Coleman said.
He's helped build heart surgery teams across the country, the latest at Chesapeake Regional.
"If you have a safe treatment, the quality will be there, as long as you also have a team that's working with the patient's interest at heart," Dr. Coleman said. "I feel that everybody on the team here is very passionate about what they do."
Dr. Coleman said his leadership approach is also influenced by his military training. He is a Colonel in the Army Reserve and has also served in the Navy Reserve.
"The experiences that I've learned in the military, in trauma... is very helpful for me in taking care of patients, wherever that is, whatever the battlefield is," Dr. Coleman said.
At Chesapeake Regional, he said the goal is to ensure patients are confident in their cardiac care.
"Being able to provide a clear and consistent communication back to the patients and their families so they know what to expect, that's vitally important," Dr. Coleman said. "The timing is critical to save lives."
Chesapeake Regional Medical Center hopes to perform its first open-heart surgery in early April.