Gwinnett Medical Center has an incredible vision for the future of health care in our community. As chairman of the Board of Directors, it is my privilege to see the progress made in this vision through Project PATH, the strategic plan to transform the way health care is delivered in Gwinnett.

Each time I visit the Lawrenceville campus, I see tremendous progress on the new patient tower, already rising 5 stories above the ground and growing taller each week. This tower will significantly improve accessibility to the health care delivered by Gwinnett Medical Center for our booming population.

However, one essential medical service is noticeably lacking from our home county. As Gwinnett Medical Center is preparing to address this void, the success of our effort will largely be in your hands.

The hospital is preparing to file an application with state health officials to provide open-heart surgery in Gwinnett. we are launching a campaign urging our community to stand up, speak out and support this effort for services that are desperately needed right here at home.

It is a disturbing but true fact that Gwinnett is the most highly populated county in the nation without an open-heart program.

That means those suffering from a heart attack needing extensive cardiac care (such as open-heart surgery or angioplasty) must be put on some of the nation's most congested roads and rushed to Atlanta to receive it. Our 750,000 residents need this urgent care right here in Gwinnett.

Our emergency department sees more than 100,000 patients annually, making it one of the four busiest in Georgia. More than 8,000 of these patients are treated for cardiac-related issues. The three other busiest emergency departments in Georgia have open-heart programs - Gwinnett Medical Center does not.

Read this article by Wayne Sikes, chairman of the Board of Directors of Gwinnett Medical Center, from the October 7, 2007 issue of the Gwinnett Daily Post.