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May 1, 2009

Contact Name:	Matt Smithmier
Contact Email:	matt.smithmier@libertyhospital.org
Contact Phone:	816-407-2317

Open-heart surgery, new cardiologists come to Liberty Hospital

LIBERTY, Mo. (May 1, 2009) — Responding to community need, the Liberty Hospital Board of Trustees has approved the establishment of an open-heart surgery program at Liberty Hospital. The new Liberty Regional Heart & Vascular Center should be operational by the end of the year.

“An open-heart program is fundamental to providing advanced cardiac care for our patients,” said Joe Crossett, Liberty Hospital administrator. “It will not only be a point of pride for our facility but for our community as well.”

Currently, patients who need cardiovascular surgery are transferred to another hospital for the procedure. Offering the service at Liberty will allow those patients to receive the entire spectrum of cardiac care in one location, making it safer and more convenient for both the patients and their families.

To help build the new center, Liberty Hospital is pleased to welcome four new cardiologists. The new physicians will be Paul Kramer, MD; Linda Crouse, MD; Rajendran Sabapathy, MD; and Venkat Pasnoori, MD. All four physicians are board-certified cardiologists and will begin seeing patients at Liberty Hospital within the next few months in their office on the hospital campus.

Previously occupying an office on the campus of Shawnee Mission Medical Center, the four physicians bring a wealth of experience to the hospital. “We are excited for these new cardiologists to join with us at Liberty Hospital,” said Joe Crossett, hospital administrator. “Their expertise will complement our already-strong medical staff as we build an advanced heart program to better serve our patients.”

In addition, Demetrios Maragos, MD, and James McGraw, MD, two cardiologists with Advanced Cardiovascular Specialists, currently remain on the Liberty Hospital medical staff. Together, the two groups will help develop the future heart center.

The new program will join other cardiovascular services at Liberty Hospital, including diagnostic testing, a cardiac catheterization lab, and a three-phase cardiac rehabilitation program. Liberty Hospital was also the first accredited Chest Pain Center in the northland.

Liberty Hospital is a 245-bed regional medical center serving Clay and Platte counties as well as the northwest Missouri corridor. Founded in 1974, Liberty Hospital is a public, not-for-profit hospital, created for the benefit of its community as a political subdivision district hospital under Chapter 206 of the Revised Statutes of Missouri. It is governed by a six-member, publicly elected board of trustees who serve six-year terms. More than 1,600 employees and 350 physicians deliver compassionate, exceptional care using the latest technology and a full range of services. For more information, visit www.libertyhospital.org or call 816-781-7200.

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2525 Glenn Hendren Drive | P.O. Box 1002 | Liberty, Missouri 64069-1002 | 816-781-7200