Chesapeake Regional celebrates first open-heart surgery
CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — The heart of Chesapeake Regional Healthcare is bursting with pride as a cardiovascular team performed the hospital’s first-ever open-heart surgery Tuesday.
“Oh, it went very well, I think,” said Dr. Edward Coleman, medical director of the cardiothoracic program. “The patient and family are very satisfied — so very pleased.”
The woman from Chesapeake had four blocked arteries and underwent coronary artery bypass surgery.
Hospital staff celebrated in the main lobby Friday morning with a ceremonial taking down of the sign that said “Open Heart Surgery Coming Soon.”
It was met with big applause after years of trying to get approval for the surgical center.
Virginia’s certificate of public need program requires hospitals to apply for and receive state approval to expand or establish new centers. Chesapeake won its certificate of public need last January, five years after it first applied.
Sentara contested Chesapeake Regional Healthcare’s first application and it was denied.
A new application was approved after the hospital took its appeal to the state Supreme Court and won.
“It was a long road and it was a tough fight, and it was worth the fight,” said Dee Gilmore, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare authority member. “And here we are, celebrating today.”
Gilmore went to an early public hearing of the state Board of Health before she was appointed to the hospital’s board to attest to the public need for the surgical unit. She could attest from personal experience with her dad in another hospital.
“I sat there with him and my mother, him and his 80s, waiting all day long to try to get in to the surgery, only to find out that he kept getting rescheduled, which is really hard on people,” Gilmore said.
Now patients in Chesapeake and northeast North Carolina have another option — and one that’s closer to home.
“So it’s a great convenience for the family and very supportive for the patient to have their loved ones with them,” Coleman said.
The hospitals first heart patient wasn’t ready for the cameras, but the team is set to send her home Friday and is ready for the next patient, next week.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WAVY.com.
