It's all heart

COEUR d’ALENE — A two-year expansion of the Kootenai Health Heart Center was recently completed.

For Dr. Eric Wallace, interventional cardiologist, and Dr. Ron Jones, cardiac electrophysiologist, it means the ability to provide even better, faster care with the best technological advances available.

“It’s nice to see the hospital is invested in quality care and growing services in the community,” Jones said Thursday. “It’s really nice to be able to provide care when you need to instead of having to wait.”

Wallace said friends and family have been treated at Kootenai Health.

“You want a facility that you’re proud of," he said, adding the expansion "shows that we're all committed to a high level of cardiac care."

Prior to the expansion, the Heart Center had 15 patient rooms, one cardiac catheterization lab for treating blockages in the heart and one electrophysiology lab for treating heart rhythm disorders.

The expansion of roughly 37,000 square feet added a second cardiac catheterization lab; a second electrophysiology lab and 10 pre/post-procedure rooms.

New diagnostic imaging equipment will provide high-definition, real-time views of patients’ hearts and vascular systems.

The expansion will allow the Heart Center to see more patients and provide more same-day procedures.

"The expansion will help us treat 1,500 more patients per year in the Cath Lab and 100 more in the EP Lab," said a news release.

“What it means for patients is they’ll be able to get in sooner and get care faster,” Wallace said.

The move was necessary keep up with the area’s growth.

Coeur d'Alene's population is closing in on 60,000. Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization projects that by 2040, the population of Coeur d’Alene will reach about 85,000.

According to Kootenai Health, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. It reported that about one in four deaths is due to some form of heart disease.

Dr. Robert Burnett, cardiothoracic surgery medical director, in 2022 told The Press the Heart Center doctors had performed more than 4,500 open-heart operations since the inception of the cardiac heart program in 2003.

“Our specialized heart center has seen a significant uptick in the patient population over its 18 years and our organization is facing a tipping point," a news release said.

Wallace said the expansion was built to meet growth for the next 10 years.

He said prior to the expansion, when he tried to schedule a procedure, it could weeks.

Now, with more rooms, labs and equipment, Heart Center providers have more options and can schedule procedures sooner.

“It allows things to have a more natural pace and people not have to wait so much,” Wallace sad. “When they want to get things done, we can get them done sooner.”

A $40 million expansion project that included the Heart Center, operating rooms and Kootenai Outpatient Surgery started in 2021.

It was funded through capital reserves, debt and donations to the Kootenai Health Foundation, according to a previous statement from the hospital.

The Heart Center has about 40 health care providers, with about five of those coming on board in the past six months.

Jones joined at Kootenai Health earlier this year. The expansion influenced his decision.

"I knew I would not be limited in my ability to provide care for patients," he said.