Jennifer Tittsworth
Erlanger officials and physicians, along with City Mayor Andy Berke and County Mayor Jim Coppinger, were on hand to celebrate the grand opening of the new Erlanger Heart and Lung Institute on February 22. Dr. Larry Shears, Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Erlanger, “sheared” the ceremonial red ribbon with one of Erlanger’s daVinci robots, which is used for minimally invasive robotic heart surgery.
The ceremony represented another landmark occasion for the Erlanger Health System and local residents. What distinguishes Chattanooga’s only Heart and Lung Institute is that all services related to heart and lung care are now located in one setting, from highly sophisticated robotic operating suites, recovery rooms and cardiac catheterization labs to cardiac intensive care units and patient rooms.
More than 300 people attended the ribbon cutting event, including the 65+ members of Erlanger’s cardiac and lung specialty team.
(Above) Dr. Larry Shears uses a daVinci robot to cut the ceremonial red ribbon during opening ceremony for the new Erlanger Heart and Lung Institute.
(Above) Dr. Matt Wiisanen discusses some of the technology in one of the operating suites in the new Erlanger Heart and Lung Institute.
(Above) Erlanger representatives Dr. Larry Shears, Board of Trustees Chairman Jack Studer, Erlanger President & CEO Kevin Spiegel, Erlanger Heart and Lung Institute VP & CEO Judy Tingley, Erlanger Executive VP & COO Robert Brooks, and Chaplain Jeremy Lambert speak during the opening ceremony.
