ENID — Ground was broken Wednesday for a 7,400-square-foot cardiology clinic expected to bring faster and more convenient service to cardiology patients in Enid.
Dr. Uma Guniganti, who has practiced medicine in Enid nearly 10 years since she came here from Michigan, is building a new facility for Enid Heart Center at 1127 E. Garriott, just in front of Greenbrier Village.
“It’s our hope this expansion will improve the patient experience by making the trip to the doctor more comfortable and convenient,” Guniganti said.
The additional examination rooms and expanded treatment area should let the clinic accept more same-day appointments, and patients will be able to see the doctor and undergo needed tests on the same day as well, she said.
“We will be able to increase the number of services available for our patents, to include all outpatient cardiac and vascular procedures,” Guniganti said.
For example, external counterpulsation, or ECP, treatments can be done in-house at the new facility.
Stan Tatum, CEO of St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, said Guniganti hopes to attract more cardiologists to the Enid medical community.
“One of the big things she is trying to accomplish is to add more cardiologists to her practice,” Tatum said.
Tatum provided statistics to show why more cardiologists would be helpful.
“Still, one in four deaths in the U.S. are related to heart disease,” Tatum said. “We’ve made great strides in reducing mortality. We’ve reduced mortality related to heart attacks by 27 percent in the last 10 years. Unfortunately, though, we still see a growing incidence of heart disease, and of course, a big factor in heart disease is the aging of the population.”
Other factors Tatum noted are inactivity, obesity, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
“All of those are risk factors exacerbated just by our lifestyles,” Tatum said.
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