(Newburgh) - In the 19 months since St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital opened their cardiac cath lab, it has become one of the most active in the region. According to Board Member Richard O'Beirne, over 1,100 procedures have been performed since its opening. "Three or four years ago, this type of facility would only be found in Manhattan." The community fought to bring this vital service to Eastern Orange County, and its need is demonstrated each and every day by the people who seek state-of-the-art cardiac diagnostics and treatment there.

St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital celebrated another milestone in its enhancement of cardiac and stroke services last Wednesday, with the ribbon cutting of a new Special Procedures Room for interventional radiology. Part of a $4.7 million expansion and renovation of imaging services at SLCH's Newburgh campus, the facility will provide additional capability for angiograms, carotid stenting, lumbar punctures for pain, and other advanced procedures.

Construction of a separate, dedicated Special Procedures Room was necessitated by the success of the hospital's 19-month-old cardiac catheterization lab, which has become one of the most active in the region. Since the technology required for both services is much the same, SLCH's Interventional Radiology and Cardiac Cath teams had shared the cardiac cath lab, each scheduling nonemergency patients for approximately half the day. The new Special Procedures Room, essentially a mirror image of SLCH's state-of-the-art Cardiac Cath Lab, will enable both services to increase availability and enhance care to our community. Director of Cardiac Services and Interventional Radiology is Margaret Deyo Allers, R.N.; Radiology Department Co-Chairs are Hilario Martinez, M.D. and Stephen Daly, M.D.

A new digital X-ray room also has been completed under this initiative; soon to follow are a new ultrasound suite with three bays, registration and waiting area renovations for enhanced patient comfort and privacy, digital reading room, and an advanced image-distribution system to get patients' results to physicians faster.

Community members, physicians, board members, and hospital staff were on hand to celebrate this latest accomplishment in SLCH's 10-year plan for the future of health care in our region. Board Chair Richard O'Beirne noted that SLCH is "turning vision into reality," and that the next several weeks would bring additional milestones, with the openings of affiliate Athena Women's Wellness Ob/Gyn in New Windsor, a medical office building and same-day surgery center in Cornwall, and multilevel parking garage in Newburgh. Recently, SLCH celebrated the grand opening of its New Paltz facility, which offers a Center for Rehabilitation, and satellite offices for the physicians of Athena Women's Wellness and Orthopedics & Sports Medicine

Pictured above to the left: Joseph Racanelli M.D.; Allan E Atzrott, Margaret Deyo Allers, R.N., John Salerno, M.D., Stephen Daly, M.D., Rev. Coleman Briggs, and Richard O'Beirne cut the ribbon at the entrance to St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital new Special Procedures Room.

Pictured above to the right: President and CEO of St. Luke's Cornwall Hospital Allan E. Atzrott, Rev. Coleman Briggs, Judy Moore, Cardiovascular Technologist,and John Salerno, M.D

Pictured to the right: Rev. Coleman Briggs gives the benediction for the new special procedure room at St. Lukes Hospital.