May 2, 2011
EDMONTON — Cardiac programs and services from the Royal Alexandra Hospital are moving into a new state-of-the-art heart centre. The CK Hui Heart Centre will be home to innovative patient care, research, and education.
All patient services at the CK Hui Heart Centre will occupy one oversized floor of the Robbins Pavilion on the Royal Alexandra Hospital Campus. The Centre will perform minimally invasive interventional cardiac procedures and host a number of progressive new programs focusing on prevention, stabilization, multicultural needs, rehabilitation, maternal heart health and angina.
Royal Alexandra Hospital cardiologists and patients will benefit from complete integration of cardiac intensive care beds, inpatient care beds, catheterization and pacemaker labs, and cardiac outpatient clinics.
“This new heart centre represents an honouring of the past, the beginning of new specialized care and technological advancements, and a plan for the future,” said Premier Ed Stelmach. “An environment supportive of innovation and future growth is what allows this province to continue providing top-quality patient care to more Albertans.”
Consolidating cardiac resources in one location in the Robbins Pavilion with the Lois Hole Hospital for Women offers a unique partnership opportunity for a Maternal Heart Health Program, a dedicated clinic for diagnosing mothers with new or pre-existing cardiac issues where they can be safely monitored through their pregnancy.
“This new facility will greatly advance heart care in our province and help meet the demand for specialized heart care services,” said Alberta Health Services Board Chair Ken Hughes. “Unique programs like the Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Program and the Multicultural Heart Health Initiative will no doubt play a key role in the prevention of heart disease in our population, making a huge difference in many lives.”
The CK Hui Heart Centre will work with other specialized centres like the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, serving specialized cardiac care needs of Albertans, particularly those from Edmonton and Northern Alberta, as well as cardiac patients from the Northwest Territories.
“The CK Hui Heart Centre will greatly advance heart care in our province by consolidating important cardiac services into one facility, by educating people about heart health and by meeting the growing demand for specialized heart care and treatment,“ said Gene Zwozdesky, Minister of Health and Wellness. “The CK Hui Heart Centre is yet another step toward Alberta’s goal of building the best performing, publicly funded health system in Canada, in accordance with our 5-Year Health Action Plan.”
The Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation, with the Honourable A. Anne McLellan as CK Hui Heart Centre Campaign Chair, raised in excess of $8 million for the new centre. “When you consider the wide and devastating affect of heart disease on men, women, and children, we have invested in nothing less than the future of Canada,” said McLellan. “Our campaign has ensured that the CK Hui Heart Centre will be an important destination. A place where the world of science and the world of patient care intersect. This new facility will ensure new opportunities for research, innovation and clinical trials.”
Dr. William Hui, Chief of Cardiology at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, said the core values of excellence and innovation in patient care were top of mind for cardiologists when they established the first cardiac intensive care unit in the province at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in 1963. “Over the years many groundbreaking new procedures and cardiac therapies were established, and the passion for excellence that brought these innovations to life is even more evident today than ever before.”
The CK Hui Heart Centre is named in honour of Dr. Hui’s father, Chun Keung Hui, who was a man who valued excellence, who showed a progressive spirit, and who was the ultimate advocate of others to follow their dreams. “He certainly encouraged me to follow mine. Today, with the opening of this new heart centre, one of those dreams has been realized.”
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than 3.7 million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
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