State Senator, David Cappiello, R-24th, and State Representatives Mary Ann Carson, R-108th, and Janice Giegler, R-138th, today announced they will host two public forums on cardiac care issues affecting area residents in Sherman and New Fairfield. The forums will feature formal presentations and question and answer periods.
The Sherman Forum will be held on Saturday, April 17 at Mallory Town Hall at 10 a.m. In addition to legislators, Keith Hovan, Senior Vice President of Operations for the Medical Surgical and Rehabilitation Service Lines at Danbury Hospital, will be on hand to answer questions from the public.
The New Fairfield forum will be held at the New Fairfield Senior Center on Monday, April 19 at 7 p.m. Dr. Andrew Keller, Interim Chief of Cardiology of Danbury Hospital will be available for questions.
Currently, advanced cardiac care, which includes angioplasty and open-heart surgery , is only provided at hospitals in the New Haven, Bridgeport and the Hartford areas. This forces people in Western Connecticut to travel more than an hour during an emergency. Danbury and New Milford Hospitals currently have applications before the state that would allow the facilities to provide advanced cardiac care. Public Health Commissioner Dr. J. Robert Galvin is expected to a make decision on the hospitals' applications this spring.
"This forum comes, in part, as a response to constituents who asking more for information on this issue and how they can help," said Rep. Carson, who serves as House Ranking Member (Republican Leader) of the Legislature's Public Health Committee. "To date, people have been very helpful in sharing their experiences regarding emergency cardiac care. The forums will also provide critical information to people who are unaware of how serious an impact this issue can have on their lives. We're grateful that Mr. Hovan and Dr. Keller have agreed to come our community to share information and answer questions."
"This is not a political issue," said Sen. Cappiello. "This is a healthcare issue first and foremost. These forums are an effort on our part as legislators to help the public better understand the necessity of having expanded cardiac care in our area of the state. During a cardiac emergency time is of the essence, so for citizens in Western Connecticut to have to travel over an hour to seek proper treatment is, quite frankly, dangerous and could have extremely serious consequences for their quality of life."
" Our constituents need to be educated on the importance of having Advanced Cardiology Services approved for Danbury Hospital ," said Rep. Giegler. " A forum such as this will bring an awareness of how minutes could affect a friend, neighbor or family member's quality of life. Western Connecticut lacks the expanded cardiac services we need and should have in a growing community. Our cardiac access should be equal to the services available to other residents in the State. " |
