New cardiac facility provides more access
SUN PHOTO BY RACHAEL TAFT
Jim Leck said he was happy to be alive after experiencing an aortic aneurysm last month. Leck was one of the first patients treated at the Peace River Heart Institute, a $25 million state-of-the-art facility that opened in January. It now houses the cardiac facilities there were previously at Charlotte Regional Medical Center.
PORT CHARLOTTE — Jim Leck was driving to visit his wife at work when he saw a bright flash in the corner of his eye. Then he felt a pain in his chest,
moving down into his left side.
Leck, 58, was sure he was having a heart attack. His last memory was parking his truck and calling 911. When he awoke days later, he found himself in a private room at the brand new Heart Institute at Peace River Regional Medical Center. The center is the new home for cardiac facilities that were housed at Charlotte Regional Medical Center before being transferred in January in an effort to expand the area’s cardiac care. Both hospitals are owned by the Naples-based Health Management Associates.
