CIS celebrates another birthday

The Houma-based Cardiovascular Institute of the South marked its 28th anniversary of operation Monday, and notable growth from a one-man operation in 1983, to its current expansion level, which includes 35 physicians and 450 employees working from 12 locations throughout southern Louisiana.

Bourg native and Harvard-educated cardiologist, Dr. Craig Walker said his intention when opening his practice was to bring to a part of the country that was, at one time, leading the nation in heart-related illness, information and education as well as treatment.

Along with those objectives, CIS has been instrumental in participating in stint and heart valve research, and is recognized globally for medical breakthroughs born along the bayou.

“I take pride in the fact that CIS has grown into one of the largest and most comprehensive cardiovascular programs anywhere in the world,” Walker said. “We’ve had the opportunity to get involved in groundbreaking research.”

Wellness programs and treatments provided by Walker and the CIS staff includes minimally invasive procedures, which offer lower risks to patients and less recovery time than is needed following traditional surgery.

Walker said that CIS physicians work as clinical investigators and lecturers at medical conventions and educational institutions to present their findings and innovations for treatments.

More than 70 million Americans suffer from some form of cardiovascular disease. It is a condition that in 2010 saw treatment costs mount to more than $272 billion. That expense is predicted to triple during the next two decades.

Walker noted that in 1983, the death rates from cardiovascular disease in the Houma-Thibodaux region were among the highest in the United States. Currently, the death rates from cardiovascular disease in that same area are among the lowest in the nation because of influences from CIS.