The Ticonderoga Campus of the University of Vermont Health Network - Elizabethtown Community Hospital (ECH) received more than $30,000 in donations from the Fraternal Order of Eagles (F.O.E.). A yearlong campaign, led by F.O.E. chapters and auxiliaries across New York State, raised money to support new cardiology equipment, including a treadmill and monitors for exercise tolerance tests.

“We are grateful for the generosity of all the F.O.E. members and chapters who supported our cardiology clinic,” said Bob Ortmyer, Elizabethtown Community Hospital President. “Thanks to the F.O.E., our patients in the Ticonderoga community now have access to expanded cardiology services closer to home.”

Dr. Gavin Noble, a UVM Health Network cardiologist practicing at both the Ticonderoga Campus and Porter Medical Center in Middlebury, VT, says reaching rural communities is vital to catching health issues and preventing hospitalization. Exercise tolerance tests can be used to determine a patient’s risk of coronary artery disease or heart attack, or to monitor an existing heart condition. For Ticonderoga residents, the nearest location for these tests was more than 40 miles away.

“From Ticonderoga, it’s more than an hour’s drive to Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Plattsburgh, and nearly as far to Middlebury, let alone Burlington,” says Dr. Noble. “That’s a lot of gas money for people who might be on a fixed income. And it’s a real barrier for many people seeking care.”

Heart disease continues to be the leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), followed by cancer and COVID-19. In 2020 alone, heart disease killed nearly 700,000 Americans. By comparison, COVID-19 death rates were about half that. To understand health outcomes by geography, a CDC study found that rural Americans are more likely to die of heart disease compared to those living near urban areas with better access to health care.

“Fraternal Order of Eagles and auxiliary members from across New York State come together every year to support our communities,” said F.O.E. New York State Aerie President Ed Dolback. “Ticonderoga is my hometown and a very special place, and we are proud to support heart health in this community.”

Offering specialty care like cardiology is another step in efforts to transform health care in Ticonderoga and invest in services that meet the needs of our community. The evolution of the former Moses Ludington Hospital began in 2018, when the campus became part of the University of Vermont Health Network - Elizabethtown Community Hospital. Every clinical department was renovated and modernized, including an outpatient specialty physician space which today hosts rotating specialists from across the UVM Health Network. For more information, please visit UVMHealth.org/Ticonderoga.