Record day for Bridgeport Hospital Home Run; More than 700 participants raise over $20,000 for heart care

A record turnout of more than 700 people helped make the May 26 Bridgeport Hospital Home Run the most successful in the event’s 10-year history. More than $20,000 was raised to support the patient care provided by the hospital’s Joel E. Smilow Heart Institute.

Presented this year by BMW of Bridgeport, the Bridgeport Hospital Home Run begins and ends at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard, home of the Bridgeport Bluefish. It includes a 5K run and walk, an alternate one-mile course and a Children’s Fun Run inside the ballpark. The mostly flat, scenic 5K course through Seaside Park and along the Long Island Sound waterfront, designed by road racing veteran Marty Schiavone, is acclaimed by runners.

“We are extremely grateful to all those who ran, walked and volunteered in this year’s event,” said Bridgeport Hospital Foundation President Steve Jakab. “We also thank BMW of Bridgeport and all of our event sponsors. The funds raised will benefit heart patients from throughout the region.”

“It takes a hard-working, dedicated group to plan and execute this event,” added Foundation Manager of Special Events Kelly Hewitt, in her first year as race manager. “We were fortunate to have a great team of volunteers from Bridgeport Hospital and the community come together to make this a special day for everyone involved.”

The overall winner of the 5K run was Jim Saint Amour of Brooklyn, NY, in a time of 16 minutes, 59 seconds. The top woman finisher was Meredith Amand of Easton, in 18 minutes, 53 seconds. Trophies were also presented to the top three male and female finishers in several age categories, ranging from 9 and under to 80 and over.

Bridgeport Hospital has been a leader in advanced cardiac care for more than 50 years. The hospital performed the first diagnostic cardiac catheterization in Fairfield County in 1961, the county’s first open-heart surgery in 1963 and the county’s first balloon angioplasty in 1981.

More recently, in June 2011, Bridgeport Hospital experts performed New England’s first hybrid ablation procedure for atrial fibrillation. This innovative procedure combines the best of catheter-based and minimally invasive surgical approaches, and provides a more comprehensive treatment. The hospital is now a national training site for hybrid ablation.

Yale New Haven Hospital (YNHH), part of Yale New Haven Health, is a nationally recognized, 1,541-bed, not-for-profit hospital serving as the primary teaching hospital for the Yale School of Medicine (YSM). Founded as the fourth voluntary hospital in the U.S. in 1826, today, YNHH has two New Haven-based campuses, and also includes Yale New Haven Children's Hospital, Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital and Smilow Cancer Hospital. YNHH has received Magnet designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the nation’s highest honor of nursing excellence. YNHH has a combined medical staff of about 4,500 university and community physicians practicing in more than 100 specialties. www.ynhh.org