Heart Failure Patients in Carroll County to Receive Care Closer to Home with the Opening of New Clinic at Carroll Hospital
Carroll County residents living with heart failure will no longer have to travel to Baltimore or other places outside the county for specialized heart failure care. They will now have access to the expert teams from the LifeBridge Health Cardiovascular Institute with this week’s opening of a heart failure clinic at Carroll Hospital in Westminster.
This new clinic is more convenient for Carroll County patients and encourages them to seek better overall management of the disease. The cornerstone of this specialized clinic is its ability to streamline care through structured, regular visits, as well as the ability to provide coordinated care and wraparound services closer to home.
“People with heart failure benefit from frequent monitoring and assessments, enabling early detection of any changes in their condition. This proactive approach helps prevent exacerbations and hospitalizations, which can significantly improve the quality of life for individuals living with heart failure,” says cardiologist Sunal Makadia, M.D, who is director of heart failure at LifeBridge Health and who will oversee the Carroll clinic.
“Heart failure means the heart isn’t pumping like it should, which can be caused by a variety of reasons. This poor pumping means your body does not receive the oxygenated blood it needs to function properly. This can lead to a range of symptoms from shortness of breath to fatigue and memory loss and can affect nearly every aspect of a person’s life. That’s why it’s important to work with a coordinated medical team to support people with heart failure,” adds Dr. Makadia.
The heart failure clinic at Carroll is a collaboration between a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals, including a board-certified cardiologist, nurse practitioner, medical assistant, dietitians, social workers and others, all focused on delivering personalized care tailored to the unique needs of each patient. The clinic will be located at the Tevis Center for Wellness.
The hospital will also offer remote monitoring devices for continuous tracking of vital signs and fluid levels, enabling timely interventions and prevention of potential crises. Telemedicine can facilitate regular check-ins, offering convenience and accessibility—particularly for patients in remote areas or with limited mobility.
Jennifer Fisher, the nurse practitioner for heart failure clinic at Carroll Hospital, says, “Additionally, the hospital is offering free virtual heart failure education sessions twice a month to the community to share ways to effectively manage heart failure, so that individuals can live a healthy, active life.”
Garrett Hoover, president of Carroll Hospital, is excited that this clinic will meet an important need for the people of Carroll County.
“While we’ve always offered our patients top-quality heart failure options for care through our LifeBridge Health system, I’m excited that our heart failure patients can now get care they need right here in Carroll County,” says Hoover, who is also senior vice president of LifeBridge Health.
This is the third heart failure clinic operated by LifeBridge Health’s Cardiovascular Institute: the other clinics are located at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore and Northwest Hospital in Randallstown.
The LifeBridge Health Cardiovascular Institute offers comprehensive heart and vascular care, including a team of experienced cardiologists, electrophysiologists, heart and vascular surgeons, cardiac rehabilitation physicians and more.
To contact the heart failure clinic at the Tevis Center for Wellness, call 410-871-7000.
Additional Background:
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about 6.2 million adults in the United States have heart failure. In 2018, heart failure was mentioned on 379,800 death certificates (13.4%) and heart failure cost the nation an estimated $30.7 billion in 2012.
And, the numbers are growing.
According to the American Heart Association, the number of people diagnosed with heart failure is increasing and projected to rise by 46 percent by 2030, resulting in more than eight million people living with heart failure. The increase can be attributed to aging populations, obesity, diabetes and hypertension.
About Carroll Hospital:
Carroll Hospital is the heart of its tight-knit community, proudly serving the region for more than six decades. It has grown from a one-building hospital to a comprehensive patient-centered medical campus. The hospital offers a nursing and rehabilitation center on campus, nationally ranked care, the latest medical technology and skilled clinicians in a variety of specialties.
Contact: Theodosha Hayes, thayes3@lifebridgehealth.org, 410-601-2296