Download the HonorHealth Heart Care Impact Report (PDF format)
 

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“Sadly, every minute, someone in the United States dies from a heart disease-related event. But with your support, we will develop new procedures, medical devices and medications at HonorHealth Heart Care, often before they’re available anywhere else in the world!

And for that, I thank you!”

— DR. MAULIK SHAH
Executive Director and Chief, Complex Interdisciplinary Medicine
HonorHealth Heart Care

 

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Great heart care begins with you!

HonorHealth is already at the forefront of cardiovascular treatments and technologies. But sustaining a nationally recognized center of excellence requires continued investment in clinical expertise, infrastructure, services and leading-edge technology.

Thanks to your generosity, those investments are now becoming reality at HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center.

In 2025 alone, donors:

Funded our lung nodule program, allowing us to hire a patient navigator who guides patients through every step of early diagnosis and treatment, safeguarding the vital connection between lung function and heart health when every breath and heartbeat matters.

With a dedicated navigator, patients no longer face the stress and confusion that can come with complex testing and appointments. Instead, they receive personalized guidance, timely follow-ups and seamless coordination of care which helps ensure that potential issues are identified early, treatments are initiated promptly and cardiopulmonary health is preserved. This role is especially critical because the health of the lungs directly impacts the heart, circulation and overall wellness. By supporting patients through early detection and intervention, our lung nodule program not only improves outcomes, but also strengthens the foundation for lifelong heart and lung health.

Ensured that our physicians, nurses and clinicians have access to the latest knowledge, research and best practices through continuing medical education (CME). By investing in ongoing learning, we empower our team to stay at the forefront of cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary care, adopt the newest treatment techniques and implement evidence-based practices that improve patient outcomes.

Supported the expansion of our Observation Unit, a critical space where patients with heart and vascular concerns receive focused, short-term monitoring and rapid assessment. By strengthening this unit, we can provide timely interventions for patients showing early signs of cardiac issues, streamline care transitions and reduce unnecessary hospital admissions, all while ensuring patients receive attentive, high-quality care in a comfortable, supportive environment.

Helped establish a state-of-the-art cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU), a dedicated space where the most critically ill heart and vascular patients receive specialized, around-the-clock care. This new unit will provide advanced monitoring, cutting-edge technology and a team of highly trained cardiovascular experts ready to respond at a moment’s notice. With the CVICU, we can improve outcomes for patients recovering from complex heart surgeries, severe cardiac events and life-threatening vascular conditions. This unit represents a major step forward in our mission to provide comprehensive, world-class cardiovascular care.

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Because of you

As a nonprofit, community-based healthcare system, HonorHealth relies on your kindness and generosity to help provide the exceptional care you and your family expect and deserve.

Every patient’s experience with HonorHealth Heart Care is made possible through philanthropy. Because of you, we remain committed to building stronger, healthier communities together.

When you give through HonorHealth Foundation, you support more than great care. Your contributions improve health and well-being, fuel medical breakthroughs, advance innovative research and transform lives across our community and beyond.

Our vision for advancing cardiovascular care requires the support of donors like you. We profoundly thank you for making your gift and joining HonorHealth Heart Care in helping to defeat this devastating disease!

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Your generosity in action

With no history of high blood pressure or high cholesterol, Heather had no reason to focus on her heart health. As a mom, equestrian and traveler, she was active and seemingly healthy.

Heather and her son were enjoying a meal at a theme park when she felt a strange pressure in her throat.

“It was like the sensation you get right before you vomit,” she recalls. “I thought, ‘Am I having an allergic reaction?’”

Then came dizziness, lightheadedness and pain across the tops of her shoulders. By the time she got to a first aid station, the stabbing pain in her back was undeniable. Paramedics quickly took over, hooking her up to an EKG. Minutes later, she was in an ambulance. Within 40 minutes, she was in surgery. Her artery had completely collapsed, requiring an emergency stent.

A year earlier, she visited the doctor for tightness in her chest. The response? An inhaler for possible allergy-related symptoms. Months later, while working on a ranch, she felt tingling in her left arm. She noticed it — but brushed it off.

That tendency to downplay symptoms is common, especially among women. Instead of sudden, crushing chest pain, heart attacks in women often show up as subtle discomfort, nausea, dizziness or pressure in unexpected places like the throat, back or jaw.

“Unfortunately, for years, women’s concerns have been dismissed or misattributed to anxiety, stress or even indigestion, leading to delayed or inadequate treatment,” says Sirisha Vadali, MD, a women’s cardiovascular specialist with the HonorHealth Women’s Heart Health Program. “This is changing as awareness grows and more research focuses on how heart disease affects women differently.”

Once out of the hospital, Heather’s real work began. She started a cardiac rehabilitation program to adjust to her new normal. She also enrolled in the HonorHealth Cardiometabolic Program under Dr. Vadali’s care. Two years later, Heather is back in the saddle — literally. She’s riding horses four days a week and recently completed a rigorous 75-day fitness challenge. But she’s also made it her mission to educate others about spontaneous coronary artery dissection, the rare condition that caused her heart attack.

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Download the HonorHealth Heart Care Impact Report (PDF format)