Dear Residents of Greater Waterbury,

As the chief executive officers at Waterbury’s two hospitals — Waterbury Hospital and Saint Mary’s Hospital — we are deeply gratified that our facilities will begin offering angioplasty and open-heart surgery in Waterbury this summer for the first time ever.

To do that, we have formed the Heart Center of Greater Waterbury Inc., a joint program between our two hospitals in partnership with the University of Connecticut/John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington, a state leader in medical research and advanced cardiac services.

As a result, more than 380,000 area residents will have access to exceptional cardiac care faster, and the families of those stricken will no longer be forced to travel to other parts of the state to be with their loved ones. Greater Waterbury residents have access to the “full continuum of care” right in here, close to home — from education about cardiac health to diagnosis to treatment, and finally rehabilitation.

Our hospitals are already equipped to perform angioplasties and each is making the necessary renovations to perform open-heart surgery.

Physicians associated with the Heart Center of Greater Waterbury meet standards outlined by the American College of Cardiology. UConn’s cardiac surgeons will perform the open-heart surgeries and local cardiologists — who have been performing angioplasties and other cardiac procedures on Waterbury patients at hospitals outside our community — will soon do the same right here.

We know the Heart Center of Greater Waterbury will make a difference in countless lives across the region, and we are privileged to be a part of that effort.

Robert Ritz, President and Chief Executive Officer
Saint Mary’s Hospital

John H. Tobin, DMan, MPH, President and Chief Executive Officer
Waterbury Hospital