Why Big Joe Is Grateful for the New Cardiovascular Network of West Michigan

When it comes to your health or a loved one, you want to have the best treatment possible.

When I was in middle school, I remember my mother telling my brother, Bob, and me that our dad was very sick and that he needed to have an open-heart surgery procedure to live. Thanks to the amazing doctors at University of Michigan Health in Ann Arbor, the surgery was a success, and my family got to spend another decade with my dad.

West Michigan now has better access to University of Michigan's world-class experts and experienced surgeons thanks to the relatively new Cardiovascular Network of West Michigan. It's a collaboration among Trinity Health Muskegon, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, and University of Michigan Health-West – with more than 125 years of cardiovascular leadership from the University of Michigan Health. Some of the highlights are:

• In addition to Trinity Health Muskegon's established open-heart program, a new state-of-the-art center for open-heart surgery opened at University of Michigan Health-West in Wyoming in October 2022.
• West Michigan patients now have access to the latest clinical trials from University of Michigan Health’s Frankel Cardiovascular Center, one of the world’s leading centers of medical research. This greatly expands their treatment options.
• The Cardiovascular Network of West Michigan offers more choices for care, which leaders expect will help control costs for cardiovascular care in West Michigan. This care has historically been more expensive than in other areas of the state.

Patients will still go through their cardiologists at Trinity Health Muskegon, Trinity Health Grand Rapids, and University of Michigan Health-West, but if advanced care is needed, the network is there to provide expertise from all the programs so the patient has access to the best possible treatment. This is so important, as heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death in the United States.

Although I’m hoping I don’t need them, having the Cardiovascular Network of West Michigan in our community is so reassuring — one network, one program, one team. They are right here in West Michigan, and they are working hard toward new breakthroughs, minimally invasive procedures, and research-driven treatments that will change lives. Learn more at cvnetworkwmi.org.