Aspirus | Aspire | Fall 2018

Expert heart care expands to Ironwood Aspirus Heart & Vascular has expanded its reach in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with a newsatellite location at Aspirus Ironwood Clinic. The satellite clinic is now open topatients andprovides expert heart and vascular specialty care closer to home for residents in the U.P. Being a satellite clinic of Aspirus Heart & Vascular means that expert care is on-site. It offers: w w Timely access to cardiology specialists. w w Cardiac diagnostics, including nuclear stress tests and cardioversions. w w Better patient outcomes. w w Reduced patient travel time and expense. Aspirus Heart & Vascular is based at Aspirus Wausau Hospital, which has been recognized among the nation’s Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospitals by IBMWatson Health™. Additional heart and vascular satellite clinics are located at Aspirus Langlade Hospital in Antigo, Aspirus Medford Hospital and Aspirus RiverviewHospital inWisconsin Rapids. Formore information, go to aspirus.org or call the Aspirus Customer Contact Center at 800.847.4707 . Despite the fact that Armstrong faced three combined procedures, she recalled being more concerned about her husband than the operation itself. But her worries were quickly washed away by her compassionate care team. “They gave him a pager so that they could update him throughout the entire procedure,” she said. “They’d tell him, ‘The doctor is doing this, and now he’s doing that.’ Then they called him to make sure he was in the cardiac intensive care unit when I came out of surgery.” Much to their comfort from the very beginning, Armstrong said they were greeted by caring, familiar faces when she came to. “From our first trip to Wausau and every visit in between, I have had the same people caring for me,” she said. “I didn’t have to repeat myself or explain anything. That was such a relief— knowing they were all there since day one.” After a short hospital stay and cardiac rehab, Armstrong was back at home and AFib-free. Just 10 days after her hospital release, she was in her kitchen making homemade jam and fresh pasties from scratch. As a token of their appreciation, the Armstrongs brought jars of thimbleberry jam to her care team at Aspirus Wausau Hospital during her two-week checkup. Gettingstrongerbytheday Armstrong feels fortunate for the expert care she received from Dr. Vaitkevicius close to home. Had it not been for him, and Aspirus Keweenaw’s connection with Aspirus Heart & Vascular, she may not have had the positive outcome she has today. “Dr. V ought to wear a red cape over his white doctor’s coat,” she said. “He takes all the time necessary to explain and answer your questions, and he points out areas that need to be addressed, Deb and Evan Armstrong making pasties at their home in Hancock, Michigan Ronald Miles, MD, FACS whether it be short-term or something to keep an eye on.” Evan couldn’t agree more, adding that Dr. Vaitkevicius and his cardiac team are real “Bobby Dazzlers.” “He’s the kind of individual that you ponder over why you didn’t invite him to your family get-together,” he said. “He has that infectious personality with the outstanding knowledge base to back it up.” With reinforcement from Armstrong’s cardiac rehab team at Aspirus Keweenaw, she is getting stronger by the day. All in all, she said Aspirus has been there for her and Evan with the best care and has been for years. “That’s why we make the 14-mile drive from Hancock to Laurium for our care,” she said. “We’re well taken care of, just like family. What more could you want or ask for, especially at a time when you need the best care the most?” Peter Vaitkevicius, MD aspirus.org 9