OakBend Medical Center now provides full service cardiac care as Janie Becerra Martinez discovered last week! When Mrs. Martinez arrived in the Emergency Department by EMS two weeks ago with shortness of breath, she had no idea what an important role she would play in the future of healthcare in the Rose-Rich Community. Upon determining that the patient was suffering from congestive heart failure, she agreed to become the first patient to receive open heart surgery at OakBend Medical Center in Richmond, Texas. 

Under the medical leadership of Dr. Uttam Tripathy, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeon, a coronary bypass with graft surgery (CABG) was performed on Mrs. Martinez on Thursday, June 25, 2009.  The program was developed under the direction of Jody Jones Noirot, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and Sue McCarty, Chief Nursing Officer responsible for the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at OakBend Medical Center.  For the last several months the Perioperative Staff and ICU Nursing Staff have been undergoing extensive training for open heart surgical patients and their special needs. 

When asked why she agreed to be the first patient to receive this treatment at OakBend, Mrs. Martinez said, “they were taking such good care of me, I just felt good about it.  I trusted the doctor and the ICU Director“.  Four days after the procedure and just prior to being released from the hospital, Mrs. Martinez was very happy about heading home, but when asked about the quality of care she had received during her stay, she commented, “100% quality of care – they took very good care of me, even staying in my room while I slept.”

“This is just the next step in reaching the goals we have set for offering comprehensive health care to the community we serve including the establishment of the OakBend Institute of Diabetes, Heart and Vascular Disease.  It is because of the excellent physicians and staff that have chosen to be a part of the OakBend Medical Center team that OakBend can provide nationally recognized, award winning services in stroke, cancer, women’s health and respiratory care, “ said CEO Joe Freudenberger.

“Everyone at the hospital is very excited to have reached this level of care   We have been working toward this for some time and were committed to ensuring that we were  prepared by engaging the right people, implementing the necessary training and following very deliberate and detailed protocols.  We are extremely proud of our entire team for providing the best possible outcome for Mrs. Martinez and all future heart patients at OakBend Medical Center,” said Jody Jones Noirot, Chief Operating Officer.

The addition of a heart program in West Fort Bend County will allow our citizens to be treated in a familiar healthcare setting, with less hardship to their families and friends.

For additional information, please contact:                 Cindy Reaves, Marketing Manager

                                                                                    OakBend Medical Center

                                                                                    creaves@obmc.org

                                                                                    (281) 341-3023