Mercy Health System Opens New Clinic in Rogers

Rogers, AR (October 7, 2005) - Arkansas Heart and Vascular Institute (AHVI) has opened as a member of Mercy Medical Clinics at 1101 W. Chestnut in Rogers. The clinic is home to the practices of three physicians new to Mercy who are dedicated to complete heart and vascular wellness: John Ablan, M.D., Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery; Mary Bourland, M.D., Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery; and Kalai Huff, M.D., Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology.

A fellow of the American College of Surgeons, American College of Cardiology, American College of Chest Physicians and a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Dr. John Ablan has performed more than 2500 open-heart surgeries in his career. He has more than ten years of experience in adult cardiac (including off-pump CABG and mitral valve repair), aortic, non-cardiac thoracic, and vascular surgery; additionally, he has received specialized training in minimally invasive surgery of the chest.

Dr. Ablan is certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and the American Board of Surgery. He comes to Mercy from St. Louis, where he practiced for eight years at St. Louis Heart Institute. Prior, he served as a cardiothoracic surgeon in Green Bay, Wis. While in Wisconsin he was rated as one of the top ten cardiac surgeons in the state. He completed his general surgical and thoracic and cardiovascular surgical residencies at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill. He holds a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse, where he graduated with Honors and completed a double major in chemistry and biology, and a medical degree from the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis, Minn.

Dr. Mary Bourland joins the Mercy team after working the last twelve years on the medical staff at St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin. Though she is trained to and will perform the same procedures as Dr. Ablan, including major cardiac and thoracic surgeries, the majority of her practice focuses on endovascular surgery and women's preventative heart and vascular health. This includes educating women on the benefits of proper diet and exercise and hosting mobile vascular screening outreaches at different Mercy Medical Clinics and community events.

A fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Dr. Bourland is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. She completed a fellowship in cardiothoracic surgery at the State University of New York at Buffalo. She completed her residency in general surgery at Southern Illinois University in Springfield, Ill., and a clinical rotation in cardiothoracic surgery at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. She holds a bachelor’s of science degree in biology from Murray State University in Murray, Ky., and a medical degree from Southern Illinois University.

Dr. Kalai Huff also comes to Northwest Arkansas after spending a significant amount of time at St. John's in Joplin, where she was the attending cardiac anesthesiologist on many of Dr. Bourland's cases. She has more than 20 years of experience in anesthesia services, and has completed advanced specialized training in the intricacies of cardiac preoperative evaluation, invasive monitoring, hemodynamic optimization, transesophageal echocardiography, cardiovascular physiology and pharmacology, management of cardiopulmonary bypass, total circulatory arrest, and postoperative care of the patient having cardiac and vascular surgery.

Dr. Huff is board certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology. She completed fellowships in cardiothoracic anesthesia and anesthesiology at Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, Pa., in anesthesiology at Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital in Philadelphia, and in pathology at St. Luke’s Medical Center in New York, N.Y., and in internship in internal medicine at Philadelphia General Hospital. Dr. Huff received her medical education in Madras, India.

A full-service vascular lab is also located within the clinic space. Grant Jones, RVT, has been hired as the lab's director and, for the time being, sole vascular technician. He also comes to Mercy after working the last few years in Joplin with Dr. Bourland. As his primary job responsibility, Jones performs a wide range of vascular studies, including, but not limited to, carotid scans, aorta scans and scans of the upper and lower extremities.

Donna Price, Clinic Coordinator, and Wanda Crass, R.N., complete the clinic's staff. Prior to joining AHVI, Price worked in the Mercy Medical Clinics Central Business Office as a coder. Crass has more than 12 years of nursing experience, and has worked in several parts of the country as a clinic nurse.

AHVI is open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. The clinic can be reached by calling (479) 878-1960.

Mercy Health System of Northwest Arkansas, a not-for-profit faith-based health system, provides healthcare services to residents in northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri. The System includes St. Mary's Hospital, The Gardens at Osage Terrace Assisted Living Facility and Mercy Medical Clinics in 22 locations throughout northwest Arkansas and southwest Missouri. Mercy is currently constructing a state-of-the-art medical campus just east of Interstate 540 off of New Hope Road in southwest Rogers. When completed in 2007, the campus will include a 350,000-square-foot medical center with 200 beds and a medical office building to accommodate 90 physicians.