Mercado: 'Sacred Heart' - hospital that heals with a heart

Saturday, October 9, 2010

THE festive atmosphere of October, with the celebration of La Naval Fiesta in Angeles City as central event, opens the holiday prelude to Christmas time.

It's La Naval today in the City of Friendship, a red-letter date in the month of the Holy Rosary.

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Yesterday though was an important date in the city's history being the 1st Anniversary of the founding of the Sacred Heart Medical Center, Central Luzon's only specialty hospital for cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

The Sacred Heart Medical Center (SHMC), after only a year of operation holds the leadership status in handling cancer cases in Region 3. It has the latest equipment, medical expertise and highly-qualified support system in the early screening, detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer and cardiovascular disorders.

As SHMC marks its 1st anniversary, the Angeles Community has welcomed and encouraged the hospital's dramatic contribution to the uplift of general welfare through its specialized services.

The Medical Center's Cancer Institute has been busy all year round with new and transfer cancer patients undergoing procedure at its chemotherapy ambulatory unit and Linear Accelerator.

Along with its modern Conventional X-Ray and Digital X-Ray machines are the
16-slice CT Scan, C-arm with, Flouorscopy, 2-D Echocardiography, 3-D and 4-D Ultrasonology, and Mammography equipment.

SHMC Medical Director Aurelia I. Villaraza said the Center is equipped with state of the art facilities which allow the hospital's duly accredited staff and competent personnel to provide services in line with the Center's mission.

Dr. Villarza is a highly respected leader in the field of internal medicine and tertiary hospital administration. During her long stint as Medical Director of the AUF-Medical Center, the hospital has grown by leaps and bounds, emerging as leading medical training school and hospital in the region. She has brought over 15 years of hospital management experience to the "Sacred Heart."

President Dr. Nenita Tan Canlas, daughter of the founding Chairman Ric Tan whose banner enterprise is the Jenra Supermart and Jenra Mall, among other businesses, is a leading practitioner in OB-Gyn. She was the top practitioner in her field during her five-year stint at the JBL Regional Medical Center. She also took up postgraduate studies in management at the Ateneo and her residency training in the US.

The initial success of "Sacred Heart" - with its established record of providing excellent services in a friendly environment, quality care and treatment, and its affordable costs were celebrated by its founders, stakeholders, and the community at large on Monday September 27.

The Tan Family, who enjoys high esteem from the Pampanga community for its high ethical business ethics, and well regarded for its philanthropy and humanitarian work is proud to adopt as its credo- the "hospital that heals with a heart," a term crafted by Bishop Ambo David during his homily.

The professionalism and core values which invest the Medical Center were outlined by Dr. Tan Canlas as "leadership, commitment to excellence, and patient satisfaction as a social responsibility."

To attain these goals, Dr. Villaraza implements a rigid standard in hiring only well-trained, duly accredited, and highly experienced doctors/technicians to perform with consistent excellence for the medical and surgical requirements of patients.

Her 15-years experience at AUFMC has enabled Ollie to pursue holistic care of patients, concerned about their special needs as well as their emotional and spiritual well-being.

Chairman Tan's said he wanted the Sacred Heart Medical Center to become well- known as- and competitive with- leading hospitals in Metro Manila. Patients with cancer and cardio-vascular disorders will be provided with facilities and services with standards that are at par with the best in that metropolis," he said.