About CMHVI --> History

Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute continues commitment to service that began more than a century ago

On July 2, 1891, a small group pressed into the attic of a brick house on Lewiston's Main Street to watch Dr. Edward H. Hill amputate the leg of 18-year-old Charles Teague, who suffered from what is only described as "white swelling of the knee." Mr. Teague was the first surgical patient at the newly opened Central Maine General Hospital. A group of area residents, with Dr. Hill foremost among them, had worked for years to create a hospital and their labors had at last borne fruit.

What would the founders of Central Maine General Hospital think if they could mingle with the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute surgical staff in one of CMHVI's state-of-the-art operating rooms? Could Dr. Hill conceive what he set in motion not long after the Civil War? And by the same token, do most patients at Central Maine Medical Center and CMHVI truly understand how far healthcare has come in the relative brevity of a century?

CMHVI and 19th century Central Maine General Hospital share a common purpose: they were each conceived and developed to improve the lives of those they serve.

CMHVI is realization of regional services vision

In the mid-1990s, former Central Maine Healthcare-CMMC President and Chief Executive Officer William W. Young, Jr., current President and CEO Peter E. Chalke, assisted by the organization's management team and with the strong support of physician leaders and the CMMC and CMH governing boards, launched the effort to establish a cardiac surgery program at CMMC. The need for advanced cardiac services in the central and western Maine region was clearly demonstrated by the large number of cardiac patients who were traveling long distances for care. CMMC's Certificate of Need Application for the cardiac surgery and cardiac angioplasty program gained state approval in October 2000.

A team of physicians, nurses and managers at CMMC worked for several years developing a CMHVI service model that assures the delivery of top-quality care. Integral to this model is the fusion of a state-of-the-art facility with an evidence-based clinical practice that is based on sound research and tested care principles.

"The vision of CMHVI is straight-forward," said Mr. Young during the program's formative stage. "CMHVI will reduce the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and its complications within the central and western Maine region that it serves. CMHVI will expand and improve access to comprehensive cardiovascular services at all levels, including community-based prevention, education, diagnosis, treatment, and on-going disease management. The unwavering goal of CMHVI is to provide high-quality patient- and family-focused care."

"It was truly gratifying to see the breadth and depth of the support for the cardiac center," said Peter E. Chalke, CMMC's chief executive officer since 2001. "In the end, I think it was very much the people of central and western Maine who assured that the Central Maine Heart and Vascular Institute would become a reality. We thank everyone for the enormous support that they showed during the approval process and continue to demonstrate. We believe they will be very pleased with the cardiac service they have helped create."

As the CMHVI facility was rising into the skyline, CMMC began recruiting its professional staff. In the spring of 2002 the hospital announced that William J. Phillips, M.D., had been named director of cardiology. Dr. Phillips came to CMHVI from Johnson City, N.Y., where he practiced with Cardiology Associates, a group physician practice and served as a clinical assistant professor of medicine at the Binghamton clinical campus of the State University of New York (SUNY) Health Science Center in Syracuse, N.Y. A few months later, Richard P. Cochran, M.D., was appointed director of cardiac surgery. Prior to beginning his work at CMHVI, he worked at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis., where he held a professorship and was chairman of the Division of Cardiac Surgery. During his more than 18 years as a cardiothoracic surgeon, he has done thousands of surgical procedures.

In May 2003, CMHVI admitted its first patient. Although the program's physicians initially planned not to undertake emergency cardiac angioplasties, it soon became apparent that there was a need for the service in the region served by CMHVI. To date, the numbers of angioplasties, including emergency angioplasties, and open-heart surgeries at CMHVI have met projections.

Since its opening, the program has grown to include a comprehensive staff of cardiothoracic surgeons, cardiologists, nurses and other care providers. Objective measurements of CMHVI's quality of service have consistently met or exceeded national averages.