Brockton, MA – Brockton Hospital, a community leader in cardiac care, has opened its second cardiac catheterization lab, optimizing accessibility to high-quality heart care in Southeastern Massachusetts. The opening of the second lab, completes construction of the Helen Greene Cardiac Catheterization Suite, a $ million dollar project, made possible in part by a $1 million gift from W.B. Mason. The new suite contains the two labs as well as the latest state-of-the-art technology in imaging and diagnostics.

“The opening of our second catheterization lab presents new options in cardiac care to the people in our community,” said Norman B. Goodman, president of Brockton Hospital. “Not only are Brockton-area patients able to have their procedures close to home, but we have already begun accepting patients from surrounding hospitals as well.”

Brockton Hospital has long been identified as a center of excellence for cardiac care in this region. Brockton Hospital was among the first community hospitals in the Commonwealth to open a cardiac catheterization laboratory in 1991 and has been performing emergency angioplasties -- a procedure in which a tiny balloon is used to open a blocked coronary artery in a patient experiencing a heart attack -- since 1998. Today Brockton Hospital offers 24-hour a day access to this lifesaving procedure.

Last year, Brockton Hospital’s cardiology program reached yet another historic milestone when it was selected as one of just seven hospitals in the Commonwealth to participate in the MASS-COMM research trial, bringing elective angioplasty to the region for patients who meet certain criteria.

Brockton Hospital’s Metro South Heart Institute offers area patients a complete range of cardiovascular services including an express chest pain service through the emergency department, one of the region’s most acclaimed cardiac rehabilitation programs, and a complete range of cardiac diagnostic services.

“This project will once again raise the bar for cardiac care within this community, “ said Dr. Jean-Pierre Geagea, Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Lab at Brockton Hospital. “With two labs, as Brockton Hospital performs more and more elective procedures, we help ensure that another lab is always available to treat an emergency heart attack. We view the Helen Greene Cardiac Catheterization Suite as the new standard of care.”

Perform longer, more extensive vascular procedures, while never compromising access to an emergency procedure, if needed.