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.

What makes Gwinnett County different from every other county its size or bigger in the country?

As it happens, it's the only one without a hospital offering life-saving open-heart surgery — something Gwinnett Medical Center is seeking to correct.

The hospital system intends to ask state regulators for permission to establish such a center at its Lawrenceville campus.

"It's just too risky to risk going to Atlanta in our current traffic situation," hospital spokesman Kyle Brogdon said.