11th annual Bridgeport Hospital Home Run 5K set for May 25

The 11th annual Bridgeport Hospital Home Run, presented by AMR, is scheduled for Sunday, May 25, beginning and ending at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard, home of the Bridgeport Bluefish. The event, which starts at 9 am, includes a 5-kilometer (3.1-mile) run and walk along a scenic waterfront course through Seaside Park as well as a children’s fun run inside the ballpark.

Runners dash from the starting line at last year’s Bridgeport Hospital Home Run 5K.

Advance registration by Tuesday, May 20, is $20 for adults, $10 for students ages 18 and under, and $5 for the fun run. Adult registration is $25 after May 20. A link to the registration website is available at http://foundation.bridgeporthospital.org. For more information, call the Bridgeport Hospital Foundation at 203.384.3600

Proceeds from the Bridgeport Hospital Home Run support the hospital’s Joel E. Smilow Heart Institute, which provides comprehensive cardiac care, from diagnosis through recovery, to patients in Fairfield and New Haven counties.

Last year, a record turnout of more than 700 people helped make the Bridgeport Hospital Home the most successful in the event’s 10-year history. The overall winner of the 5K race was Jim Saint Amour of Brooklyn, NY, and the top woman finisher was Meredith Amand of Easton. Trophies are also presented to the top three male and female finishers in several age categories, ranging from 9 and under to 80 and over.

This year, the Joel E. Smilow Heart Institute joined forces with the world-class specialists at Yale School of Medicine and the Yale New Haven Heart and Vascular Center to bring the latest treatments and technology to Bridgeport area heart patients. Advanced procedures such as transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and hybrid ablation are helping Bridgeport Hospital cardiologists and cardiac surgeons provide safer, higher-quality care for a wider variety of cardiac conditions. The Smilow Heart Institute also provides advanced care for heart rhythm disorders such as atrial fibrillation.

Continued innovation has allowed the Joel E. Smilow Heart Institute to remain at the forefront of advanced cardiac care since it performed Fairfield County’s first open-heart surgery, pacemaker implants and cardiac catheterization in the early 1960s.

Bridgeport Hospital, part of Yale New Haven Health, is a non-profit 501-bed acute care hospital with two campuses (plus 42 beds licensed to Yale New Haven Children's Hospital). Its Bridgeport and Milford Campuses serve patients from across the region. The hospital admits more than 23,000 patients and provides nearly 350,000 outpatient treatments annually. The Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital is the only burn center in the state and one of only 64 verified burn centers in the United States. Bridgeport Hospital is committed to providing safe, compassionate and cost efficient care to its patients and the community. www.bridgeporthospital.org