MORRISTOWN, NJ, April 4, 2006 – Joanne Conroy, MD, Executive Vice President, Atlantic Health System and COO, Morristown Memorial Hospital today announced that Morristown Memorial would name its $200 million state-of-the-art cardiac facility the Gagnon Heart Hospital in recognition of the dedicated support of Neil J. and Lois Gagnon of Mendham, New Jersey, both honorary trustees of the Morristown Memorial Health Foundation Board.  

 “The Gagnon Heart Hospital will advance our nationally top-ranked cardiac program even further,” said Dr. Conroy. “We are very grateful to Neil and Lois Gagnon for their continuing generosity and support. I offer not only my own thanks but also those of the more than 100 board-certified cardiologists and our entire cardiac team. ”

The Gagnon Heart Hospital, to be completed in 2008, will consolidate all cardiovascular services at Morristown, including open-heart surgery, angioplasty, valve replacement and repair, and minimally invasive heart valve surgery, and aortic aneurysm repair.  Morristown has New Jersey’s largest cardiac surgery program, averaging more than 1,400 cardiac surgeries annually. The new heart hospital will include four cardiac operating rooms, one of which will be equipped for robotic surgery. 

The heart hospital will feature a second electrophysiology lab; complementing the Huff Family Electrophysiology Lab, which was opened in 2005. Additionally, space will be provided for a chest pain observation center, and the latest noninvasive cardiac imaging, including Cardiac MRI and the $1.7 million LightSpeed Volume Computed Tomography (VCT) technology, which enables cardiologists to capture images of a beating heart in five seconds, permitting a faster and less invasive diagnosis. The hospital will also offer 148 private rooms with in-room access to digital imaging, enabling physicians to review their patients’ tests results in the privacy of their room.

“Both clinicians and patients will benefit greatly from the consolidation of cardiac services in one state-of-the-art facility, “ said Grant Van S. Parr, MD, Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine at Morristown Memorial Hospital. “From top to bottom the entire Gagnon Heart Hospital will be dedicated to promoting cardiac wellness as well as treating disease. I’m very pleased that Dr. Frank Smart, formerly with the Texas Heart Institute, will be joining us soon as Chief of Cardiology, Vice Chairman of Cardiovascular Medicine, Morristown Memorial Hospital.”

The Gagnon’s past gifts include the Gagnon Children’s Emergency Center, a dedicated pediatric emergency department within the Goryeb Children’s Center, as well as the first floor of the Carol G. Simon Cancer Center. The couple’s generosity has also made state-of-the art robotics available to Morristown Memorial patients. Neil Gagnon, president of Gagnon Securities, co-chaired capital fundraising campaigns for the Cancer Center, and, along with Lois Gagnon, chaired the campaign for the Children’s Hospital. The family provided an undisclosed amount for the Heart Hospital.

“Neil and Lois always say they invest their philanthropy only in excellence—programs that are first rate. It’s gratifying when philanthropists set the bar high and the Hospital meets their standards,” said Jim Quinn, Chief Development Officer of the Morristown Memorial Health Foundation.

More than 60 million Americans suffer from cardiovascular disease, which result in one million heart attacks annually. Of all patients experiencing a heart attack, 30 to 50 percent will die, and 50 to 60 percent of these will die within one hour of the onset of symptoms. Cardiovascular disease costs on estimated $327 billion every year. 

Part of the Atlantic Health System, www.atlantichealth.org, Morristown Memorial is a non-profit 642-licensed-bed hospital in Morristown, New Jersey. A clinical affiliate of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Medical School, Morristown Memorial’s specialties include cardiology and cardiac surgery, adult and pediatric oncology, critical and emergency care and inpatient rehabilitation and neonatal intensive care services. Morristown Memorial is also a Level II Regional Trauma Center, a Level III Regional Perinatal Center and a Regional Pediatric Center. Other services include the Goryeb Children’s Hospital, Carol G. Simon Cancer Center, North Jersey Regional Arthritis Center, Wound Care Centerâ, Sleep Disorder Center, Hyperbaric Medicine Program, Diabetes Center, Valerie Fund Center (pediatric oncology cancer program), Photopheresis Center, Atlantic Mind Body Center, Atlantic Behavioral Health, Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute, and Atlantic Home Care and Hospice. The hospital is the largest employer in Morristown, the second largest employer in Morris County, and is accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). Morristown Memorial earned the 2005 Consumer Choice Award from National Research Corporation and is designated as a Magnet Hospital for Excellence in Nursing Service—the highest level of recognition by American Nurses Credentialing Center available to facilities that provide excellent acute care services.

Atlantic Health System, one of the largest non-profit health care systems in New Jersey, includes Morristown Memorial Hospital, Overlook Hospital in Summit, and Mountainside Hospital in Montclair/Glen Ridge.