News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 28, 2012
MEDIA CONTACT: Stephanie Poyant
Public Information Officer
Southcoast Health System
Office: 508-961-5280
Cell: 774-634-1460
Fax: 508-961-5876
Pager: 508-387-2532
poyants@southcoast.org
www.southcoast.org/news/releases/
Southcoast Health System names Mitchel Sklar, MD, FACC, FSCAI,
Director of the Charlton Memorial Hospital Cardiac Catheterization
Laboratory
FALL RIVER, Mass. — Southcoast™ Health System has appointed Mitchel Sklar, MD,
FACC, FSCAI, as Director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory at Charlton Memorial
Hospital.
Dr. Sklar is a cardiologist with Southcoast Physicians Group. In his new role, Dr. Sklar
will provide leadership to the cardiac catheterization laboratory and interventional radiology suite
(peripheral vascular) at Charlton while continuing to maintain his clinical duties.
Dr. Sklar has extensive experience in coronary and peripheral vascular intervention. He
earned his doctor of medicine at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he also
completed his internal medicine residency and cardiology fellowship. He completed his advanced
coronary interventions fellowship at Scripps Clinic and Research Foundation in La Jolla, Calif.
He subsequently completed training at Massachusetts General Hospital in the treatment and
management of peripheral vascular disease.
Dr. Sklar is a fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the Society for
Cardiovascular Angiography and Intervention, and a member of the Society of Vascular
Medicine. He is a clinical assistant professor of medicine at Warren Alpert Medical School at
Brown University. He is board certified in interventional cardiology, cardiology and internal
medicine.
Dr. Sklar sees patients at his office located at Cardiovascular Associates of Rhode Island,
1076 North Main Street in Providence, R.I.
Dr. Sklar lives in Providence, R.I., with his wife and daughter.
Southcoast Cardiovascular Services
Southcoast Cardiovascular Services provides a broad spectrum of cardiovascular
services locally, including open heart procedures, cardiac catheterizations, coronary angioplasty
and cardiac implantable devices. Southcoast performs more cardiac catheterizations than any
other community hospital system in Massachusetts, with approximately 60 percent of patients
needing advanced treatment such as coronary artery bypass or angioplasty. Southcoast’s state-ofthe-art Electrophysiology Laboratories at Charlton Memorial Hospital provides diagnostic testing
for cardiac arrhythmias as well as invasive electrophysiology procedures such as arrhythmia
ablations.
Southcoast’s heart program continues to grow with an astounding 24 area cardiologists
joining Southcoast Physicians Group in the past two years.
“Our number one priority is to provide well-coordinated, high-quality care to all of our
patients,” said Margaret Ferrell, MD, Physician-in-Chief of Cardiovascular Services for
Southcoast Health System. “The success of the Southcoast heart program is credited to the highly
skilled team of cardiologists, surgeons and health care professionals at our three hospital sites. It
is their 24 hours, 7 days a week dedication and the commitment by Southcoast to invest in the
latest technology, equipment and state-of-the-art facilities that enables us to rank among the best
in the country.”
Southcoast performed the first open heart surgery in Southeastern Massachusetts in April
2002, bringing the lifesaving procedure to a region with the state’s highest incidence of heart
disease. Southcoast was the first of three community hospitals approved by the Massachusetts
Department of Public Health to offer open heart surgery and elective coronary angioplasty at its
Charlton Memorial Hospital site in Fall River.
Southcoast’s cardiac surgery program has brought unprecedented access to advanced
cardiac services to the region and has received exemplary reviews and outstanding patient
satisfaction since its inception including ranking as one of America’s 100 Best Hospitals for heart
care by Healthgrades®, the nation’s leading, independent source of physician information and
hospital quality ratings. Healthgrades awarded Southcoast its Specialty Excellence Award for
Overall Cardiac Services, Cardiac Surgery and Coronary Interventional Procedures.
“The Healthgrades rankings are an exceptional accomplishment for our cardiac program
and a testament to our physicians, surgeons, nurses and health care providers who are saving lives
every day,” said Laurie Mulgrew, Vice President of Clinical Services for Cardiovascular Care &
Imaging for Southcoast Health System. “Patients who receive their cardiac care at a Southcoast
hospital can rest assured they are receiving their care at one of the top heart hospitals in the U.S.”
The 14th Annual Healthgrades Hospital Quality in America Study analyzes tens of
millions of patients’ outcomes — specifically, mortality and complication rates — at the nation’s
5,000 hospitals. Healthgrades’ 2012 clinical achievements for Southcoast Hospitals included
being a recipient of the Healthgrades Cardiac Care Excellence Award™ for six years in a row and
a recipient of the Healthgrades Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award™.
For a complete listing of Southcoast Hospitals’ Healthgrades rankings visit
www.healthgrades.com.
About Southcoast Health System & Southcoast Hospitals Group
Southcoast Health System is a community based health delivery system with multiple
access points, offering an integrated continuum of health services throughout Southeastern
Massachusetts and East Bay, Rhode Island. It includes the three hospitals that make up
Southcoast Hospitals Group — Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River, St. Luke’s Hospital in
New Bedford and Tobey Hospital in Wareham.
Southcoast provides advanced clinical services, such as open heart surgery, angioplasty
and heart rhythm services, comprehensive cancer care, neurosurgery, weight loss surgery,
orthopedic surgery, advanced imaging services and is the only provider of maternity services in
the region.
Southcoast is a not-for-profit charitable organization that depends on the support of the
community to provide services. More information is available online at
www.southcoast.org. Connect to Southcoast through social media
at www.southcoast.org/connect/.
Southcoast™ is a trademark of Southcoast Health System Inc.
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