Cardiology center opens at East Georgia Regional Medical Center

STATESBORO, Ga. (WTOC) - A new physician and a new center inside Statesboro’s hospital could help patients get seen sooner and seen closer to home.

An “interventional cardiologist” might sound like a mouthful. But here at East Georgia Regional, having one means you could get emergency care if or when you need it and they could help you avoid that emergency too.

Dr. Richard Petrella spends more time seeing and testing patients than he does at his desk. The opening of East Georgia Cardiology means he’s on campus full time versus being in practice away from the hospital.

Hospital leaders hope this allows patients to get heart tests done sooner and possibly save them a trip to Savannah or Augusta.

“We’re on our way to putting together a cardiology group that’s committed to the hospital. There’s already excellent cardiology here, excellent diagnostics,” said Dr. Petrella.

He’s worked in the field of cardiology for more than 30 years and helped pioneer some heart procedures while serving in Cleveland and Erie, Pennsylvania.

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