Hospital Awaits Hearings On Cardiology Request

DANBURY — The state’s Office of Health Care Access (OHCA) has deemed Danbury Hospital’s Certificate of Need (CON) application for interventional cardiology complete, paving the way for hearings to consider the hospital’s request to provide angioplasty and open heart surgery in western Connecticut.

The hospital filed its CON application with OHCA in December 2003 to request permission to provide the standard of care for treating heart attacks — angioplasty — along with open heart surgery, because the time and distance it takes to reach these services in other communities poses significant risks for patients in greater Danbury, according to Paul B. Iannini, MD, chairman of the Department of Medicine at Danbury Hospital.

The hospital, now awaiting notification of its formal hearing dates, is calling upon patients and their family members, staff, and the community at large to identify those willing to testify briefly before OHCA.

“Everyone in Connecticut deserves equal access to complete cardiac care. Right now, if you have a heart attack near a major heart center, you can get the help you need in just over an hour. But if you live or work in western Connecticut and nearby New York State, you will wait more than three hours to access the same level of care,” Dr Iannini said. “Your survival and quality of life after a heart attack are largely determined by when you receive treatment.”

There are three ways to help, according to Dr Iannini: Speak at the hearing, write a letter, and sign a petition.

To join the list of speakers for the pending OHCA hearing to support Danbury Hospital’s application, call the hospital’s Community Relations Department at 797-7247. The OHCA probably will limit each person’s remarks to approximately three minutes. This will be the only opportunity to speak publicly in support of Danbury Hospital’s efforts to provide advanced cardiac interventions.

To voice support in writing, send a letter to: Commissioner, Office of Health Care Access, 410 Capitol Avenue, MS #13HCA, PO Box 340308, Hartford CT 06134-0308, and specifically request that Danbury Hospital’s CON application be approved to improve access to life-saving cardiac care for its community. More information is posted on the hospital’s website at www.danburyhospital.org.

 A convenient, electronic petition is featured on the hospital’s website. There is a red heart campaign logo and the words “Danbury Hospital — Quality Cardiac Care.” Click on “Sign the Web Petition” to complete the form, and be sure to click “Submit Petition” to validate your on-line signature. There also is a printable petition posted on the website to return by fax at 203-830-2093.

NOTE: Only one signature per person is valid, whether submitted as a hard copy or website petition.

Following the collection of more than 21,000 petition signatures and letters of support, the hospital will launch a new advertising campaign this month to emphasize the importance of timely access to cardiac interventions to improve survival and quality of life following a heart attack. The six-week campaign poses the question “Quality Cardiac Care…How Far Away Are You?”