CARDIAC FACILITIES GROWING IN REGION.

Byline: SUE DOYLE Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA -- A growing senior-citizen population in the Santa Clarita, Antelope and northern San Fernando valleys has led to the expansion of cardiac facilities at some local hospitals.

Most recent was expansion at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center on a second cardiac-catheterization laboratory, where ailing heart patients find specialized treatments, such as angioplasty, which has reduced the number of open-heart surgeries.

A significant number of residents from the Santa Clarita Valley seeking these less-invasive medical treatments contributed to the hospital's expansion, said hospital spokesman Dan Boyle. Holy Cross had opened its second cardiac lab in November 2005.

``In general, the populations in both the Santa Clarita and northern San Fernando valleys are getting older as people live longer,'' Boyle said. ``We're seeing it not only in cardiac issues, but diabetes is another thing, because it tends to strike senior populations.''

Santa Clarita Valley residents, from 2000 to 2004, needed 584 cardiology procedures -- from angioplasty to pacemaker implants. About 204 of those procedures were done at Holy Cross, said Boyle, who referenced the statistics from the Office of Statewide Planning and Development.

In a $47.9 million construction project, Lancaster's Antelope Valley Hospital will also add a second cardiac catheterization laboratory, in addition to expanding its emergency room and ICU.

With only two hospitals to serve the Antelope Valley's growing population of about 400,000, though a third is planned, officials saw the increased demand for these cardiac services with its current population and with forecasts for the future, said Jackie Weder, marketing director.

``Even though we are continuing to grow, as more people are moving into the Antelope Valley, people are getting older,'' Weder said. ``That's where the need lies.''

Weder said the hospital has also witnessed an increased need for orthopedic services, such as those for knee and hip replacements.

sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com

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