February is American Heart Month, a good time for us to highlight what's happening with our cardiology programs here at Danville Regional.

In conjunction with our partners at Duke University Health System, we've already completed extensive planning for our new Danville Regional Heart Center. Construction is now underway, but we still have equipment to purchase, staff to recruit and train, policies to evaluate - and it will all be complete and running smoothly when we accept our first open heart surgery patient early next year.

This new addition will also house our Endoscopy Lab. We will have both gastroscopy (studies of the gastrointestinal tract) and bronchoscopy (studies of the respiratory system). This space will provide physicians with better facilities while patients will enjoy greater comfort and convenience.

Finally, we're now engaged in a strategic planning process that will review our entire operation and determine where we should be heading for the next three to five years. We're involving our management, board of directors, medical staff, and the community to be sure that we are on a solid footing for continuing success in the future. And that future is going to be a healthier one, thanks to our new Heart Center. Have a a healthy American Heart Month!

Sincerely,

Warren E. Callaway, FACHE
President and Chief Executive Officer
Danville Regional Health System