Maimonides Celebrates National Heart Month

As a part of National Heart Month, the Maimonides Heart and Vascular Center in Borough Park celebrated its position as one of Brooklyn’s leading cardiac treatment centers with a flag-raising ceremony on February 13.

“We’re the top hospital for heart treatment,” said Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Maimonides Medical Center Dominick Stanzione. “When people need care, we’re here to provide. In the region, there’s no one better than Maimonides.

“There’s been a long, strong history of cardiology here,” he said in reference to the center being the site of America’s first heart transplant in 1967. “There’s a lot of need here and we’re able to marry many high tech services with the needs of the community.”

Offering state-of-the-art health services to Brooklynites is a top priority of many of the center’s professionals, said hospital officials.

“The services here let people know that they don’t have to cross the bridge to get the care they need,” said Director of Nursing Lorraine Carroll.

Dr. Robert Rhee, the center’s chief of vascular and endovascular surgery, concurred “I came here because Brooklyn has three million people and it was vastly underserved,” he said. “Brooklyn patients would have to go to Manhattan for the latest devices, procedures and trials.”

Now, Rhee says, the hospital will be the center for upcoming trials for the latest generation of aortic devices. “It’ll be a cool thing to bring to the Brooklyn patient population,” he noted.

Councilmember Vincent Gentile was also in attendance to recognize the center’s role in meeting Brooklyn’s cardiovascular needs.

“It’s great to know that in our humble abode, we have one of the top 10 cardiology departments in the country. Thank you for making us aware of out cardiologic health,” Gentile said.