Stamford Health Advances Women’s Health Services

PRESS CONTACT:
Andie Jodko, Communications Director
Stamford Health
[email protected]
203.276.5511

Stamford Health Advances Women’s Health Services

STAMFORD, CT/May 16, 2023 – Today, Stamford Health announced that it will expand access to women’s health services throughout lower Fairfield County through two significant community grants and the addition of 6 new physicians. Simultaneously, ongoing renovation of the Whittingham Pavilion at Stamford Hospital on the Bennett Medical Center Campus, which houses all mother baby services, a new Stamford Health Medical Group location in Harbor Point opening in 2024 and the relocation and transformation of Stamford Health’s Breast Center will further differentiate Stamford Health as a destination for women and families in the community.

Two significant grants will expand access to preventive care for patients in the community. The first, a grant from the Connecticut Health and Educational Facilities Authority (CHEFA), funds a Community Health Worker Program focused on serving Stamford’s Haitian community. Diana Dupey-Faustin, MHA, has joined Stamford Health as its first bilingual community health worker and she will help patients navigate the health system and educate them on the importance of screenings and prevention.

The second grant, from Fairfield County Community Foundation Fund for Women and Girls is a renewal to fund breast services such as mammograms, breast ultrasounds, breast MRI and biopsies for underinsured and uninsured patients. Other grants from the Breast Cancer Alliance, Pink Aid, Leon Lowenstein Foundation, Boehringer Ingleheim, and Stamford Ford are helping to reduce healthcare disparities and bring services to women in the community who could otherwise not afford them.

To expand access to care for women at Stamford Health, the health system made a series of strategic appointments including a new Chair of OB-GYN, new Associate Breast Surgeon, new OB-GYN, two new Hospitalists and a new Maternal Fetal Medicine Physician who is expected to start later this spring.

Siobhan Dolan, MD, MPH, MBA has joined Stamford Health as Chair of OB-GYN. She was most recently Vice Chair of Genetics and Genomics in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine. Dr. Dolan now oversees all of Stamford Health’s women’s services including the Women’s Specialty Center, Maternity, Labor & Delivery Units and outpatient OB-GYN offices.

"I am excited to be a part of the exceptional team at Stamford Health” said Dr. Dolan. “My goal is to promote equity and innovation in support of outstanding care for women and our community so that every birthing person and every baby born at Stamford Hospital can thrive."

Swapna Ghanta, MD, joins Stamford Health as Associate Breast Surgeon from NYU Langone Health where she served as Breast Surgical Oncologist. Dr. Ghanta works with the award-winning Breast Center team at the Tully Health Center to provide surgical care to individuals with breast cancer. Lyudmila B. Ganatra, DO joins Stamford Health as an Attending Physician in OB-GYN after finishing her OB-GYN residency at Richmond University Medical Center. Dr. Ganatra sees patients in Riverside and she is currently accepting new patients.

Theresa Mahon, MD, and Nikko Dunlevy, MD both joined Stamford Health as Hospitalists. Hospitalists provide an elevated level of care to women and birthing people in Labor & Delivery, Maternity, and the Emergency Department, providing 24/7 physician coverage for patients at Stamford Hospital. Finally, Luciana Veira, MD, Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist, is joining Stamford Health in May and will expand the system’s capacity to care for high-risk patients in the Women’s Specialty Center.

These announcements bolster other ongoing projects to advance care for women and babies at Stamford Health. On the Bennett Medical Center Campus, a newly renovated Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) will be unveiled at the Whittingham Pavilion later this spring. The modernization of the NICU was in large part funded by a philanthropic commitment of $5 million from the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation. Also in the Whittingham Pavilion, construction recently began on the Maternity unit and subsequent renovations will include updates to the Labor & Delivery unit which will include adding a new operating room. Additionally, a new Stamford Health Medical Group outpatient OB-GYN location at 170 Washington Blvd in Stamford’s Harbor Point neighborhood will open in 2024. Finally, a philanthropic commitment of $10 million from the Odyssey Group Foundation, will go directly toward a relocation and total transformation of Stamford Health’s Breast Center at the Tully Health Center.

About Stamford Health

Stamford Health is a non-profit independent healthcare system with more than 3,800 employees committed to caring for the community through a wide range of high-quality health and wellness services. Patients and their families receive expert, compassionate care through the system’s 305-bed Stamford Hospital; Stamford Health Medical Group, with more than 40 offices in lower Fairfield County offering primary and specialty care; a growing number of ambulatory locations across the region; and support through the Stamford Hospital Foundation.

Stamford Health is known for its expert, person-centered care through its many recognitions and partnerships. U.S. News & World Report has recognized Stamford Hospital as a High Performing Hospital. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rated Stamford Hospital as a five-star hospital for Overall Quality. The American Nurses Credentialing Center has granted Stamford Hospital Magnet Status, which recognizes superior patient care with the highest level of safety, quality, and patient satisfaction. Stamford Health is Planetree Gold Certified for excellence in person-centered care.

Stamford Health is a major teaching affiliate of the Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and has recently expanded its relationship with Columbia to offer treatment and expertise from Columbia University Irving Medical Center’s nationally recognized heart surgeons. Stamford Health and Hospital for Special Surgery have created a premier center for specialty orthopedic care right in Stamford, CT. Additionally, in 2020 Stamford Health’s Carl & Dorothy Bennett Cancer Center entered into an expanded collaboration with Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center.

Dedicated to being the community’s most trusted healthcare partner, Stamford Health puts patients first to build long-lasting relationships. For more information, visit StamfordHealth.org. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.