Christopher  L. La Mendola, MD FACS FACC

St. Francis Hospital is the only Specialty Designated Heart Center in New York State.  Over the past twenty years, surgeons at St. Francis have performed over 25,000 open heart procedures; an experience exceeded by only a few of the world's finest cardiac centers such as the Texas Heart Institute and The Cleveland Clinic.  No other hospital in the New York area even comes close!

Recently, U.S. News & World Report ranked St. Francis Hospital 18th in the country in its listing of the nation's best cardiac care hospitals.  Yet, simply being ranked among the country's greatest hospitals does not do St. Francis justice.  Most of the hospitals listed are large, impersonal, medical centers where it is very likely  your surgery will be performed by a resident under the "supervision" of an attending physician.  At St. Francis, there  are no surgical residents, and so, you can be assured that your surgery is being performed by a surgeon with years of experience!

Your care is more than just your operation, and here at St. Francis you will find the finest nursing staff in the country.  A "Magnet Hospital" for nurses, you will find a level of competence and compassion that is, quite simply, unparalleled.  In fact everyone of the many ancillary staff you will encounter during your stay will treat you with a level of kindness and professionalism that is all too often lost at other hospitals!

St. Francis Hospital is, as one patient said, "a powerhouse of cardiac care masqerading as a pleasant community hospital". 

This unique dichotomy assures that as a patient, you will recieve the superb, state of the art cardiac care you need in the warm, compassionate environment you want!