Randolph Health, Novant open Cardiac Cath Lab

ASHEBORO — Heart patients around Asheboro don’t have to travel to other cities for treatment now with the opening of a new cardiac catheterization lab at Randolph Health.

The local hospital, in partnership with Novant Health, opened the Randolph Health Heart & Vascular Institute, powered by Novant Health, on July 28. 

Then on Aug. 8, the partners held a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of the cardiac catheterization lab at the site. Invited members of the community were given tours of the new lab.

During the ceremony Tim Ford, CEO of Randolph Health, said, “This took more than two years to come to fruition. We’re fortunate to have Novant.”

Ford said the new institute will allow local heart patients to have the “highest quality of services” without having to travel to Greensboro, Winston-Salem or other cities. 

“We’re committed to making advanced heart and vascular care more accessible for our patients in this community.”

Alisha Sexton, director of Novant Health’s Heart and Vascular Institute in the Triad region, said, “Incredible teamwork made this celebration a reality. Randolph Health has a long history of caring for cardiac patients. But they said they would like to have more services in heart care.

This will provide high-quality care while providing for future needs.

“Our goal is to provide hope for heart patients in this community,” Sexton said. “While it’s well known that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, we want our patients to know that there is much we can do through this partnership to prevent, treat and correct even the most advanced heart problems.”

Previously, cardiac patients at Randolph Health had to go elsewhere for advanced testing and procedures. Now, they can get many of those services in Asheboro.

Dr. Mark Mitchell, a Novant cardiologist with 27 years of experience, said officials with Randolph Health had approached his team about its cardiac program, meeting several times. He said the concern was that Randolph’s cardiac program was static.

“I consulted with my colleagues and our conclusion was there’s no reason this hospital couldn’t resemble that of Kernersville,” Mitchell said.

Novant had started a similar cardiology program at Kernersville Medical Center. Mitchell said it started slow and then grew.

“That’s our vision, to elevate what’s gone on at Randolph so patients don’t have to travel an hour,” he said. “We can do what we can safely here, while more serious patients will go to another facility. We’ll have a system that’s safeuntil we become more comfortable. We appreciate the opportunity and look forward to the next 12 months.”

Privately, Ford said that patients with “enough blockages or who need surgery will go somewhere else. We can do stenting and catheter run-throughs.”

He said the Randolph Health Heart & Vascular Institute has “close to a dozen cardiologists” rotating shifts with specialists always on duty. There will be “more diagnostic procedures here.”

Any patient who needs more complex care, Ford said, will have a choice of which hospital to go to.

The new facility is located at 364 N. Fayetteville St., Asheboro. It’s open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call 336-626-3205.