"The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." That pretty much describes how I feel about the closing of the Cardiac Surgery Program at Landmark Medical Center.

The good news, first. The R.I. Department of Health has given Landmark the waiver it needs to continue doing coronary angioplasty and diagnostic catheterizations. The Cath Department, to those of us who know it best, is the best you could ever have. If you were fortunate, as I was, to be a patient there you know that the staff are remarkable people. Most patients are frightened when they are about to have surgery. The nurses gave you the feeling they were right there with you, never taking their eyes off of you for very long, continually making sure you are comfortable, and offering to help you or your family in any way. For these reasons, and for what they did for me, personally, I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank all the staff there.

I am also thankful for keeping this department of cardiac care open because it is where our Mended Hearts Visiting Program volunteers spend a large part of their time. As president of Mended Hearts, I was so proud the day we received approval from the caring medical staff which allowed us to set up in the cath lab waiting area from Monday through Friday. We provide support for anyone waiting for a loved one to finish their surgery. Our trained volunteers are on hand to sit and comfort the family, and we'll continue to be there.

The bad news is Landmark is losing the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, and the right to continue doing cardiac by-pass surgery, valve replacement surgery, and other open heart surgeries. This program is very necessary to the people of northern Rhode Island. This unit is staffed with the very best - from surgeons on down. They are with you each step of the way. Anyone who had open heart surgery at Landmark over these last three years, knows exactly what I'm saying. They each have their own stories. Those good stories make our bad news even worse. The care you received at Landmark was the ideal - it's what programs all around the world, literally, strive to be. It's what patients are looking for. And it was right here in Woonsocket, R.I.

I will never forget the day I received a call from one of the nurses. She explained she had a patient who was having a difficult time accepting that he needed bypass surgery. She asked if I could send someone to speak with him about the procedure, and what he was about to go through. This nurse must have really cared about that patient to call in help for them. This action was also because she was a true professional - and knew that outcomes improve when the patient is comforted and positive going in. I visited this patient, and the next day he had surgery, and did very well afterwards. That story played out in many large and many small ways each day at Landmark. On behalf of the volunteer visitors of Mended Hearts I would like to thank each member of the staff in the CVICU Unit for supporting our program, and for recognizing how patients can help other patients and work as a team with the medical staff.

Now, there is the ugly, too. The "ugly" describes what closing the open heart program means to real people in real time. People who live in northern Rhode Island - people who work here and spend the bulk of their day here. Because "time" is very important when someone is having a heart attack or is having a serious cardiac emergency. The faster you get to the hospital equipped with the staff and the resources to repair your heart, the less chance there is of complications. The scenario of the rescue bringing you to the Emergency Room, having medical staff assess your emergency issue, rushing you to the Cath Lab for a catheterization, something goes wrong, and you need immediate open heart surgery is a real scenario. It is one that happened at Landmark, and one that most often resulted in a life being saved. Now, with the closing of "open heart," here's the possible new, and ugly scenario. You get rushed to the ER and it's determined you'll need open heart surgery. But they can't help you now. They can only hope to stabilize you. They put you in and ambulance to be driven to another hospital. Down Routes 99, 146, and/or 95. Will you get there on time? What is happening in your body while that precious time is spent in transport? Open heart surgery and the staff it brought to the program at Landmark Medical Center saved lives of people living and working in northern Rhode Island. If you want to meet them, come to a meeting of Mended Hearts - we're here! And we meet the third Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m., right at Landmark.

I am hoping the R.I. Department of Health recognizes that instead of closing Landmark's program, they should be bringing all their resources to bear to support it, have it become economically viable. Their stated mission is to: prevent disease and to protect and promote the health and safety of the people of Rhode Island. Our program was the ideal in cardiac care. As the healthcare system grows in this state to look more and more like one large program, who is looking out for the people? Hopefully, it will be the R.I. Department of Health and the Attorney General's office will have say over mergers and consolidations, too.

I can assure you that Mended Hearts will be here. We are patients. We are the people whose lives were saved. And we speak for those that will come after us and need what we already had, here at Landmark - first rate cardiac care.

To the doctors, nurses and staff in the Cardiac Department we will miss all of you. From the very bottom of our truly mended hearts.

Bob Scott, President

Mended Hearts at Landmark Chapter #338

Woonsocket