Cardiac Care Closer to Home

Welcome to our state-of-the-art Cardiac Center. Our commitment to improving the health of the North Country continues with the expansion of cardiac services. Heart disease, the number one killer in the United States, is especially prevalent in our region. With the 2005 addition of such life-saving techniques as coronary angioplasty and cardiac surgery, a heart patient at CVPH can receive the same level of care that is available at major centers around the country. Our partnership with St. Peter's hospital in Albany, one of the Nation's Top 100 Cardiovascular Centers, ensures that our patients receive the highest level of safety and expertise available. Mortality rates for both cardiac surgery and angioplasty have consistently run below New York State averages. With the addition of electrophysiology services in 2006, a full complement of services is now offered through the Champlain Valley Heart Center at CVPH. Excellent outcomes and extremely high levels of patient and family satisfaction have made the Champlain Valley Heart Center at CVPH the preferred provider for North Country residents.


National Recognition and State Rankings
Achieved in 2008 by HealthGrades

The Champlain Valley Heart Center at CVPH received the 2008 HealthGrades Coronary Intervention Excellence Award during a press conference at the Medical Center on Thursday afternoon, April 17. CVPH ranks among the Top 5% in the nation for coronary interventional procedures (angioplasty) and ranks in the Top 10 in New York State for overall cardiology services. The coveted 5-star ranking for angioplasty services attests to the excellent care being provided. HealthGrades is a unique award-winning quality information service that accurately and objectively grades the performance of U.S. healthcare providers. It rates hospitals in specific services by assessing the national outcomes data that is collected on all hospitals by the U.S. Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This data is put through a rigorous statistical analysis that is risk-adjusted, so to ensure a fair apples-to-apples comparison of providers./HeartCenter/HealthGrades/


Keeping You Healthy Is Our Main Goal

Diagnostic Center

Heart health consists of more than emergent and surgical procedures. At the Champlain Valley Heart Center we offer all the latest diagnostic tools to evaluate and identify heart problems. Your family physician can recommend a plan of action and refer you to one of our specialists.

Treatment Clinics

At CVPH you can also find a treatment clinic tailored to fit your cardiac needs. We offer risk factor evaluation, diet consultation and smoking cessation as well as a heart failure clinic. Call the Center for more information (518-562-7742).

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Our Cardiac Rehabilitation program is dedicated to helping heart patients regain good health and independence. CVPH patients can benefit from four phases of rehabilitation beginning with the highly structured inpatient portion, followed by the closely monitored phase two program offered on campus and overseen by registered nurses, exercise specialists and dietitians. Phases three and four are conducted at the CVPH Rehabilitation and Wellness Center, and also include monitoring by health professionals.

Education & Support

Prevention and wellness are important components of overall cardiac health. Along with an extensive educational curriculum made available for patients, the Heart Center staff conducts numerous community screenings and workshops.

Mended Hearts, a support group for those with heart disease and their families, meets the second Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in Auditorium B. Call 562-7175 for more information.

The Important Physician Component

The medical specialists of Lake Champlain Cardiology Associates have been the backbone of heart care in the community for years and play a critical role in the development of the CVPH Heart Center. The Lake Champlain cardiologists include:

John D. Baker, M.D., serves as Medical Director of Clinical Cardiology at CVPH. The member of Lake Champlain Cardiology Associates is a graduate of the Columbia University Medical School and did his training at New York & Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia Campus and the University of Utah Medical Center. Dr. Baker is Board Certified in Cardiology and Internal Medicine.

Brent W. Hastings, M.D., is a graduate of the State University of New York at Upstate School of Medicine at Syracuse where he also did his training that included a Cardiology Fellowship. Dr. Hastings is Board Certified in Cardiology and Internal Medicine. Dr. Hastings is a member of Lake Champlain Cardiology Associates in Plattsburgh. For a number of years, Dr. Hastings practiced medicine in Malone, NY.

Nidal Makhoul, M.D., joined the Medical Staff in February. Dr. Makhoul received his Medical Degree from Damascus University Medical School, Damascus, Syria. He did his Internal Medicine Residency at Mount Carmel Medical Center in Columbus, OH, and Cardiology training at the University of Paris Hospitals in France and Montreal Heart Institute in Montreal, Quebec. Dr. Makhoul is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, and Nuclear Cardiology. He can be reached at Lake Champlain Cardiology, 52 Tom Miller Road, Plattsburgh, NY 12901. His telephone number is 563-2404.

Christopher Palma, D.O., joined the Cardiology Team at CVPH Medical and Lake Champlain Cardiology Associates in 2005. Dr. Palma is a graduate of New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, NY. He completed an Internal Medicine Residency at Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, PA, where he also did a Fellowship in Cardiology. Dr. Palma is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease.

David L. Sable, M.D., is Medical Director of Cardiology at CVPH. He is Board Certified in Cardiology and Internal Medicine. Dr. Sable graduated from the University of Michigan Medical School and trained at the University of California San Diego Medical Center and the University of Colorado. As a member of Lake Champlain Cardiology Associates, he has been a driving force in creating the Champlain Valley Heart Center at CVPH.

Samer Siouffi, M.D. joined Lake Champlain Cardiology Associates in September 2006, relocating to the North Country from Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh. He provides a complete range of electrophysiology services. Dr. Siouffi is Board Certified in Cardiovascular Disease and in Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology. He completed a Fellowship in Cardiovascular Disease at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and a Fellowship in Cardiac Electrophysiology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.

Joel M. Wolkowicz, M.D. is Board Certified in Cardiovascular Disease and Internal Medicine. He is a graduate of McGill University Medical School and did his training at Montreal General Hospital and the Montreal Heart Institute. Dr. Wolkowicz is a member of Lake Champlain Cardiology Associates in Plattsburgh and serves as Medical Director of Non-Invasive Cardiology at CVPH.

In order to provide coronary angioplasty and open-heart surgery, a nationwide recruitment search was undertaken and the following exceptional physicians answered the call:

Albert Abbott, Jr., M.D., joined the Heart Center in early 2007 as part of the Champlain Valley Cardiothoracic Surgeons group. Dr. Abbott is Board Certified in both General Surgery and Thoracic Surgery. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago. He completed a Residency at Akron City Hospital in Akron, Ohio and a Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship at West Virginia University in Morgantown.

Edward Bennett, Jr., M.D., was named the Medical Director of Cardiac Surgery for the CVPH Program in October 2003. Dr. Bennett is an eminently qualified, nationally recognized leader in cardiac surgery. Affiliated with Albany Cardiothoracic Surgeons, P.C., he has Board Certification by the American Board of Surgery and American Board of Thoracic Surgery. A graduate of the Ohio State University School of Medicine, Dr. Bennett completed internships/residencies at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Albany Medical Center.

William Bradley, M.D., joined the Champlain Valley Cardiology practice and the Heart Center at CVPH in the spring of 2006 bringing to two the number of cardiologists performing interventional procedures. Dr. Bradley is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular Disease, Interventional Cardiology and Critical Care Medicine. He is a graduate of Tufts University Medical School and did his training at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and Fletcher-Allen Health Care.

Timothy Garrand, M.D., is the Medical Director of the Catheterization Laboratories and of Interventional Cardiology. Board Certified in Cardiovascular Disease and Interventional Cardiology, Dr. Garrand returned to the North Country when he heard of plans to develop a heart center. He established his practice, Champlain Valley Cardiology, and played the key role in developing the interventional program at CVPH that is producing excellent outcomes. Dr. Garrand is a graduate of Johns Hopkins Medical School. He trained in Internal Medicine and Cardiology at Yale-New Haven Hospital and was a Fellow in Interventional Cardiology at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C.

What Does All of This Mean?

• A first-class team and program are in place.
• Lives are being saved.
• Outcomes have been extremely positive, so much so that national awards and top 10 rankings have already been achieved.
• Residents have peace of mind knowing that accepted standards of medical care are readily available.
• For families, it is much more convenient than having to travel.
• Health-care dollars are being conserved and insurance premiums will be positively affected.
• A number of highly specialized health-care jobs have been created.
• Having open-heart surgery, coronary angioplasty and electrophysiology as part of the overall hospital service is attractive to businesses contemplating relocating to the area.