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Gary Herbst

Gary Herbst, Kaweah Delta CEO, speaks at a press conference in Visalia Friday morning. Photo contributed

published on January 25, 2019 - 11:53 AM
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Kaweah Delta Medical Center’s cardiovascular program has entered into a formal affiliation with America’s leader in heart care.

The partnership with the Cleveland Clinic Heart & Vascular Institute in Ohio was announced inside the Kaweah Delta’s entrance Friday morning. The Cleveland Clinic has the No. 1 cardiovascular program in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report.

“We are very proud that we will become only the second hospital in all of California that has earned the trust and confidence of the Cleveland Clinic’s heart program,” said Gary Herbst, CEO. “And what it takes to become an affiliate of theirs.”

The process of affiliation between the two hospitals began in 2016. The result of the Kaweah Delta-Cleveland Clinical Program will be the implementation of Cleveland’s techniques and treatments to the Visalia hospital. According to Dr. Jeffrey Rich, chairman of strategic operations for the Cleveland Clinic Heart & Vascular Institute, educational opportunities in Ohio will also be available to Kaweah’s staff.

“Giving you the protocols and pathways are not enough,” Rich said. “We have to help you implement those, so we want to implement those so that the quality of the care will be improved for patients. That will be the focus of our job here.”

In 2019, Kaweah Delta was named as one of America’s 50 best hospitals for cardiac surgery and one of the 100 best for cardiac care, according to Healthgrades Operating Co., Inc., a provider of health care information for more than 3 million providers.

“Quality is not a stranger to Kaweah Delta,” said Dr. Harry Lively, chief of staff. “And we’ve been working at this for a long time.”


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