For further information:
MaryEllen Coombs, Communications Specialist
maryellen.coombs@provena.org
The Provena Mercy Medical Center Foundation has been awarded a grant in the amount of $50,000 for new equipment in the hospital’s cardiac catheterization lab from the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley. The cath lab is a key area of the hospital, visited annually by thousands of patients. Cardiologists like Kok G. Chua, M.D., who has been affiliated with Provena Mercy for 11 years, and his radiology colleague perform important procedures that determine if there are blockages in the vessels of the heart, and then clear them.
“We have excellent cardiologists at Provena Mercy, with a nationally recognized cardiac surgery program,” said Dr. Chua. “The grant from the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley will help us acquire new equipment crucial for seeing the finer details of the vessels. It will allow us to have the latest technology for positioning and placing stents, small wire mesh tubes, which are so important to opening the vessels and keeping them open. Put more simply, this will help us save more lives.”
James D. Witt, President and Chief Executive Officer of Provena Mercy, added, “We are committed to continuing to provide interventional cardiology services to the communities we serve. In this era of rapidly developing clinical technology, we are challenged to maintain the infrastructure that provides our physicians with the most up-to-date means of detecting and treating heart disease. We are deeply grateful for the funding from this grant, which will be utilized to keep our cath labs equipped with the latest and most effective technology.”
The complexity of the heart’s structure and function often requires a look from inside the heart to determine the nature and extent of heart-related conditions. The Provena Mercy cath labs perform diagnostic cardiac catheterization and therapeutic interventional
procedures that allow that inside look. These procedures help cardiologists to evaluate the chambers of the heart, arteries, and blood flow and will reveal any abnormalities in the structure of the heart. The highly skilled veteran cath lab team of physicians, nurses and technologists have years of experience and contribute to Mercy’s reputation as a leader in cardiovascular care.
Susan Mennenga, Executive Director of the Provena Mercy Foundation, said, “This generous grant will truly have an impact on our cardiology program and we are very grateful.”
Provena Mercy was ranked among the top 5% of all hospitals in the nation for cardiac surgery for 2009 by HealthGrades, the nation’s leading healthcare ratings company. Quality outcomes placed Mercy not only third among all hospitals in Illinois, but the best in the western suburbs. The hospital was also recognized with a 5-star rating for cardiac surgery, coronary artery bypass surgery, and the treatment of heart failure.
Provena Mercy Medical Center is a nationally recognized, 356-bed leading provider of high-quality, multi-specialty health care and is part of Provena Health, a Catholic health system that includes six hospitals, 17 long-term care and senior residential facilities, 31 clinics, five home health agencies, two hospices, private duty, and other health-related activities operating in Illinois and Indiana. Provena Health ministries are sponsored by the Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart, the Servants of the Holy Heart of Mary and the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.
The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a collection of individual funds and resources given by local citizens to enhance and support the quality of life in the Fox River Valley in Illinois. It is a tax-exempt public charity that allows individuals, businesses, and other non-profit organizations to establish permanent endowment and temporary funds within the confines of one large foundation. Foundation funds are used to provide grants to non-profit organizations and scholarships to area students. The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley serves the Greater Aurora Area, the TriCities and Kendall County in the State of Illinois.
