WILMINGTON — Clinton Memorial Hospital (CMH) has entered into an agreement with The Christ Hospital Health Network (TCHHN) for the delivery of cardiology services. Hospital leadership identified key services that will be provided by TCHHN on-site at CMH through this affiliation, including cardiac catheterizations, diagnostic and interventional procedures, and non-invasive cardiology services.

“This is an exciting step forward as we expand access to quality, patient-centered heart care in our region and continue to advance our mission of Making Communities Healthier,” said Lance Beus, chief executive officer for CMH.

CMH and TCHHN began a formal collaboration nearly a year ago when physicians from The Christ Hospital Health Network began providing medical direction and oversight of both interventional cardiology and general cardiology services, ensuring 24/7 interventional physician coverage for acute heart attacks, known medically as ST-elevation myocardial infarctions (STEMIs).

Since then, CMH has invested more than $1.5 million to renovate its Interventional Suite, enabling greater support for minimally invasive interventional cardiology, vascular surgery, and interventional radiology procedures. Physicians operating in the Interventional Suite treat a wide range of medical conditions, including coronary artery disease, stroke, abdominal aortic aneurysms, and other peripheral vascular disorders. The expanded Interventional Suite and continued collaboration with TCHHN enables the CMH team to perform potentially life-saving interventions on-site.

“We chose The Christ Hospital Health Network because of their breadth of experience, their commitment to expanding access to care, and their research-driven approach to care,” said Beus.

TCHHN recently announced that for the seventh consecutive year, it has been ranked #1 in the Cincinnati Region by U.S. News & World Report and that its cardiology and heart surgery service lines have been ranked among the Top 50 hospital programs in the nation. TCH performs more open-heart procedures than any hospital in the Greater Cincinnati area.

“The Christ Hospital Health Network’s primary mission is to improve the health of the community by creating patient value, and part of the way we do that is by continuously evolving the scope and depth of our capabilities and programs in the heart and vascular space,” said Debbie Hayes, President and CEO of The Christ Hospital Health Network. “As Cincinnati’s Heart Hospital, we are proud to partner with Clinton Memorial and to expand access to exceptional cardiology services to the patients in their community.”

Beus emphasized, “We know that their physicians are highly skilled in providing care for acutely ill cardiac patients and will continue to provide high-quality care for our patients here in Clinton County.”

Cardiologist Christopher M. Wright, MD, MBA, FACC, a member of the CMH medical staff since 2013, highlighted the continuity of care for patients as a unique benefit of the expanded collaboration: “This is a tremendous step forward for expanding access to cardiac care in our region. TCHHN physicians and CMH clinical leaders can now coordinate virtually every step of the patient’s experience, and the whole process is reviewed and enhanced on a real-time basis to provide the highest quality of care.”

Dean Kereiakes, MD, FACC, FSCAI, President of The Christ Hospital Heart and Vascular Institute, shared in Dr. Wright’s excitement, stating, “Our mission is to not only be a regional destination for heart care, but to also be a tremendous resource for our community. We are fortunate to have a great institution like Clinton as our partner. Heart and vascular care ‘second to none’ is what you can expect from all of our providers, in every location we serve.”

Beus looked to the future of heart care locally, saying: “As we move into this next chapter of delivering high quality heart care close to home, we look forward to being able to leverage The Christ Hospital Health Network’s expertise in delivering comprehensive heart care, investing in expanded services, and enhancing access for patients across our community. We share a belief that excellent, convenient and affordable care changes everything, and we are confident that this model will be transformative for our cardiology service line and for our community.”

For more information on cardiac services available at CMH, patients and community members should visit www.CMHRegional.com .

CMH offers a full range of inpatient and outpatient specialized services, including emergency services, medical and radiation oncology, orthopedics, obstetrics, surgery, diagnostic and interventional radiology and more.

The Christ Hospital Health Network is an acute care hospital located in Mt. Auburn, with a remote hospital location in Liberty Township, five ambulatory outpatient centers, and dozens of offices located throughout the region.