Celebrating 50 years of advanced heart care at AdventHealth Redmond

ROME, Ga. — For 50 years, AdventHealth Redmond has been at the heart of healing in Northwest Georgia, pioneering new treatments, saving lives and helping families feel whole. It all began in 1975, when the hospital opened its Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, or Cath Lab, the first of its kind in the region. That single step forward redefined what was possible for local patients and set the stage for five decades of compassionate, advanced heart care.

Humble Beginnings

Prior to the Cath Lab, the hospital’s cardiology program was still in its infancy. Named Redmond Regional Park Hospital at the time, it could perform only basic, noninvasive tests such as stress tests, rhythm monitoring, and echocardiograms, but other heart care services were limited.

“At that point, we couldn’t diagnose or treat coronary disease,” recalls Marsha Colwell, a cardiology technician and one of the original team members, who then served as vice president of cardiovascular services. “If we found something concerning, we had to send patients to Atlanta.”

That changed in 1975 when the hospital opened its Cath Lab, the first of its kind in Northwest Georgia. For the first time, local physicians could see inside the heart’s arteries and accurately diagnose blockages.

“In Northwest Georgia, there was no Cath Lab near patients who needed it,” says Riley Benter, director of Heart, Lung and Vascular Services for the AdventHealth Georgia market. “Having one here was a big deal. It was the first step in becoming a leader in heart health care for this region.”

The small team of two cardiologists, Raymond Young, MD, and Scott MacLeod, MD, and three team members rolled monitors, defibrillators, and trays of equipment down the hall for every procedure, developing each film by hand in a darkroom.

Opening the Cath Lab marked a major shift in what was possible for patients in Northwest Georgia. For the first time, people could receive advanced diagnostic heart care close to home, setting the foundation for decades of growth and innovation that continues today.

Innovation That Never Stopped

The Cath Lab’s early years focused on diagnosis, using catheterization to identify blockages in the arteries but not yet repair them. That changed when Daniel Goldfaden, MD, arrived in 1986 to establish the hospital’s open-heart surgery program, another first for Northwest Georgia.

With his arrival, the newly named Redmond Regional Medical Center transitioned from a diagnostic lab to an interventional heart center, where physicians could both detect and treat coronary disease. The hospital soon added balloon angioplasty, coronary stents, and other advanced procedures that allowed cardiologists to restore blood flow without open surgery.

“They did a wonderful job keeping up with the latest technologies,” says Colwell. “The public was amazed they could get the same kind of care as Atlanta, right here at home.”

From those early days, Redmond’s heart program continued to evolve, staying at the forefront of new technology and treatment options. In 2014, the hospital celebrated its 100,000th catheterization procedure, and two years later came another breakthrough: Redmond’s first transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), offering a minimally invasive alternative for patients who once required open-heart surgery.

Most recently, AdventHealth Redmond became the first hospital in Georgia to use a medicated balloon that releases medication to the inner lining of the artery to help prevent scar tissue from returning.

“We’ve been among the first to do new procedures with new technology through the years,” says Mike Ware, MD, FACC, interventional cardiologist, director of the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, and medical director of cardiovascular services for the AdventHealth Georgia market. “Each step gives patients better outcomes and faster recoveries.”

Today, AdventHealth Redmond offers a comprehensive structural heart program, continuing its legacy of innovation while keeping compassion at the center of every advancement.

A Culture Built on Compassion

Behind every technical achievement, those who work in the Cath Lab say the heart of the program has always been its people.

“It’s our culture,” says Dr. Ware. “Through the years, we’ve attracted people who genuinely enjoy taking care of patients. They’ll come in at three or four in the morning, or stay late when the schedule is full, because they put patients first.”

That sense of purpose is something patients notice. Many leave the Cath Lab feeling, as Benter puts it, “brand new,” full of gratitude for both the medical expertise and the kindness that surrounds them.

“The team treats every patient as a person, not a number,” says Benter. “They talk with them, reassure them, and even pray with them if they’re open to it. That intentionality makes all the difference.”

For the team, this approach is the embodiment of AdventHealth’s mission to care for body, mind, and spirit, where skill and compassion move in rhythm, each one strengthening the other.

A Legacy of Healing

For Colwell, who retired in 2022 after nearly five decades in cardiology, the milestone is deeply personal.

“To be on the forefront was such a blessing,” she says. “It wasn’t just a job to me. It was a calling to help people and serve people. The physicians, staff, and leaders I worked beside truly became a family, and I feel so fortunate to have walked this road with them.”

That same sense of calling has guided Dr. Ware throughout his own career. Having joined Redmond in 1989, he’s witnessed nearly four decades of progress.

“It’s very rewarding,” he says. “I’m now caring for the grandchildren of patients I treated decades ago. That continuity — seeing the impact on generations — is what this is all about.”

Building the Future of Heart Care

Today, AdventHealth Redmond serves patients from Murray to Gordon to Floyd counties and beyond, continuing its role as the region’s center for advanced heart care. The hospital has been recognized as one of the 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals in the nation and is designated a Level 1 Emergency Cardiac Care Center by the Georgia Department of Health.

As the hospital celebrates this 50-year milestone, construction is already underway on the AdventHealth Redmond Heart and Vascular Institute, a 40,000-square-foot facility that will bring diagnostic testing, cardiac rehab, cardiothoracic surgery, and heart failure care together under one roof by mid-2026.

“We’re looking at how to care for patients across our entire market,” says Benter. “AdventHealth Redmond will remain the tertiary center, and we’re committed to offering comprehensive heart care throughout Northwest Georgia.”

Through AdventHealth’s growing network of cardiology practices, including offices in Dalton, Chatsworth, Calhoun, Trion, Cedartown, and more on the way, patients already have access to expert, coordinated heart care right in their own communities.

As AdventHealth Redmond celebrates 50 years of advanced heart care, its mission remains the same as it was in 1975: to combine innovation with compassion and bring world-class care close to home. The technology will continue to evolve, but the heart of the work — to extend the healing ministry of Christ — will always stay the same.