19
CASE

The Case for Open Heart Surgery at Cabarrus
Memorial Hospital

Situation
It was a clear, crisp October morning in Concord, North Carolina. The board of trustees of Cabarrus Memorial Hospital gathered in the windowless, walnut paneled boardroom for its monthly meet- ing (see Exhibit 19/1 for board members). Board chairman George Batte opened the meeting saying, “Because we do not have an open heart surgery program, patients needing open heart surgery or coronary angioplasty have to be transferred to another hospi- tal, causing inconvenience to the patient’s families and risks from delayed treatment. There are several questions we have to answer in addressing this issue. Should we add open heart surgery to the mix of …show more content…

Christy’s biography.)
The board had to make its decision about the future of the cardiac program at CMH before offering Dr. Christy a position; however, it was clear that Dr. Christy could not wait too much longer to be offered a position by CMH. He had received multiple offers but, if he delayed, the offers might be withdrawn.

History of Cabarrus Memorial Hospital
The General Assembly of North Carolina passed legislation in 1935 that enabled Cabarrus County to establish a public hospital. Through the guidance of Mr. Charles A. Cannon, owner of Cannon Mills, the area’s largest employer, and

THE CARDIAC PROGRAM AT CMH

Exhibit 19/2: Dr. R. S. “Chris” Christy

Ralph S. “Chris” Christy was born July 26, 1957 at Cabarrus Memorial Hospital. He was one of two children born to Steve and Rachel Christy, hardworking owners of Christy’s Nursery in Concord. Chris was educated in the Cabarrus County School system and played football for NorthWest Cabarrus High School. He married Kay Moore, also from Concord, in 1977 and together they embarked on the adventure of Chris becoming a physician. Chris graduated from Davidson College with a BS and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a medical degree. He then attended a surgical residency program at Memorial Medical Center in Savannah. After his