A timeline of the events leading to the opening of the Heart Center of Greater Waterbury, a partnership among Saint Mary’s Hospital, Waterbury Hospital and the University of Connecticut Health Center.

February 2007
The Heart Center of Greater Waterbury joins the D2B Alliance, a national quality initiative to reduce "Door to Balloon" time for patients suffering an emergency myocardial infarction.

January 2007
The Heart Center of Greater Waterbury is featured in a Waterbury Republican American story about New Years' Resolutions and the need to quit smoking. 

The Heart Center of Greater Waterbury teams up with the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association to bring three eight-week stop smoking clinics to the Greater Waterbury area.

November 2006
The Heart Center of Greater Waterbury initiated a support group for all post procedural patients.  The support group is held monthly and all cardiac patients are welcome.  Sandra Micalizzi, APRN, CDE is the facilitator.

September 2006
The Heart Center of Greater Waterbury teams up with the American Heart Association for an educational presentation for physicians and HCOGW clinicians by Dr. Jennifer Mieres.  Dr. Mieres is nationally known for her research in the area of coronary artery disease in women and other minorities.

July 2006
The Heart Center of Greater Waterbury celebrates its first anniversary.  Over 800 hearts were saved in the first year of operation through a combination of angioplasty and open heart surgery procedures.

January 2006
The Heart Center of Greater Waterbury's Community Outreach and Education Program is in full swing.  Sandra Micalizzi, APRN, CDE is available to community groups for the purpose of educating the public about heart health.

October 1, 2005
The Heart Center of Greater Waterbury officially thanks the Greater Waterbury community by sponsoring a community celebration health fair at the Brass Mill Mall in Waterbury, CT. Information regarding heart-health news and health screenings were provided.

July 18, 2005
The official launch date of the Heart Center of Greater Waterbury program.  The first angioplasty is performed in the city of Waterbury.

A letter from the Presidents of the Hospitals in Waterbury, CT

January 2005 - June 2005
St. Mary's Hospital and Waterbury Hospital undergo construction of their cardiac and operating room units.

December, 2004
The name of the Waterbury Area Heart Center changes to the Heart Center of Greater Waterbury.

July 23, 2004
OHCA approves the Waterbury Area Heart Center proposed by Saint Mary’s Hospital, Waterbury Hospital and the UConn Health Center.

June 2, 2004
CEO Bob Ritz of Saint Mary's Hospital and CEO John Tobin of Waterbury Hospital testify at a technical hearing before OHCA in Hartford. Also testifying are several Waterbury cardiologists, who must travel with their patients to other hospitals outside the area to perform angioplasty. Three of the hospitals that already offer advanced cardiac services, Yale-New Haven Hospital, Bridgeport Hospital and Saint Vincent’s Medical Center, oppose the Waterbury proposal at the hearing.

May 19, 2004
Hundreds of area residents attend a public hearing on the cardiac center in Waterbury. Testimony in support of the proposal is offered by more than 60 cardiac patients, their family members, healthcare providers, business leaders and state and local officials. Additional recorded and written testimony is submitted to OHCA, along with hundreds of signatures from an online petition.

March 24, 2004
Dr. J. Robert Galvin, commissioner of the state Department of Public Health, is selected to oversee the applications filed by the Waterbury and Danbury hospitals.

Feb. 27, 2004
OHCA Commissioner Cristine Vogel recuses herself from any decisions involving the Waterbury Area Heart Center and a separate application filed by Danbury Hospital.

Feb. 11, 2004
More than 1,000 area residents sign a petition in support of the heart center at the Save a Heart family health fair at the Brass Mill Center Mall. Cardiac patients also share their stories and participate in free health screenings. Information about the heart center is presented during a live radio broadcast on WATR.

Dec. 23, 2003
The three hospitals file a 1,000-page application for a Certificate of Need with OHCA.

Dec. 11, 2003
Gov. John G. Rowland names Cristine Vogel as the new OHCA commissioner.

Nov. 5, 2003
Mary M. Heffernan resigns as OHCA commissioner.

Nov. 2003
Saint Mary's Hospital and Waterbury Hospital object to an interim report filed by OHCA in October, concluding 80 percent of Connecticut residents live within an hour of advanced cardiac care. The two hospitals claim the state significantly underestimated those distances based on time of day, traffic, weather, construction and other variables that contribute to delays and can result in damage to the patient’s heart muscle.

Aug. 25, 2003
Saint Mary’s Hospital, Waterbury Hospital and the University of Connecticut Health Center file a letter of intent with the state’s Office of Health Care Access, stating their intention to provide advanced cardiac services at the two hospitals in Waterbury.