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Ceremony Marks Reopening of Memorial Hermann Hospital Cardiac Catheterization Labs

A ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 13 marked the dedication of the new Memorial Hermann Hospital Cardiac Cath Lab. From left to right, Bobbie Didier, director of Cardiology Services, Julie Baran, RN, Cath Lab clinical manager, Juanita Romans, hospital CEO and Jackie Wickstrand, Invasive Cardiology business manager.

Houston, Texas, August 13, 2003 -- When Tropical Storm Allison flooded the lower levels of Memorial Hermann Hospital in June 2001, all five Cardiac Catheterization Labs were a total loss. Now, following more than two years of extensive cleanup, redesign and construction, the ribbon has been cut welcoming physicians and patients to the new Cardiac Cath Lab. A grand opening ceremony took place Aug. 13 in the Hermann Pavilion Atrium.

Like the original Cath Lab, the new facility is made up of five state-of-the-art labs that began coming online, one at a time, last March. The reconstruction totaled about $23 million, most of which (75 percent) was funded by FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Administration.

Juanita Romans, Memorial Hermann Hospital CEO, said Tropical Storm Allison “really tested all of us in the Medical Center. But it also proved that no matter what the obstacles, our team can pull together and persevere. Since the technology changes so quickly, rebuilding the labs with the new and improved equipment allows us to give cardiac patients the latest and the greatest – the very best cardiovascular care available in the city,” she said.

Many precautions have been taken to protect the entire hospital from flooding. “A redundant system of concrete flood walls, earthen berms, flood gates and a high-capacity underground sump pump has been installed to prevent flooding,” said Marshall Heins, Memorial Hermann vice president of Construction, Real Estate and Support Services.

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