FALL RIVER – Saint Anne’s Hospital is set to expand its specialized heart care services after receiving approval from the Mass. Department of Public Health for a new electrophysiology laboratory at the Fall River facility.
The new 6,200-squre-foot lab will occupy previously approved shell space at Saint Anne’s, offering patients with heart rhythm disorders – also referred to as cardiac arrhythmias – diagnostic and treatment services, the hospital announced on Sept. 16.
“State approval of this project represents an important milestone in our commitment to meeting the cardiovascular needs of the communities we serve at Saint Anne’s Hospital,” said Julie A. Abilheira, president of Massachusetts Hospitals at Brown University Health, which owns and operates the hospital. “Our goal is to have more patients receive highly specialized cardiac care locally, reducing the need to travel outside the region for treatment while strengthening our ability to deliver timely, high-quality care.”
The hospital received approval for the lab on Sept. 9 and expects to open the space in the fall of 2027, pending final planning and construction timelines, according to the announcement.
Citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Brown Health reports that Fall River has the highest incidence of cardiac disease in Massachusetts.
Dr. Sadip Pant, Saint Anne’s medical director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory, said in the release that the hospital is seeing growing demand for cardiac procedures.
“Patients with heart rhythm disorders often require highly specialized evaluation and treatment,” Pant said. “Expanding these services at Saint Anne’s will improve access to care and allow more patients to receive the procedures they need close to home.”
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a PBN staff writer. She can be reached at kannermascolo@pbn.com.
