NCH Announced the Launch of its Advanced Heart Failure and Solid Organ Transplant Program

by Paul Hiltz, NCH President & CEO

I am thrilled to announce that Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) plans to expand its premier cardiovascular service to include the foundation of an Advanced Heart Failure and Transplant program, reinforcing our commitment to delivering the highest levels of advanced care to Southwest Florida.

The strategic initiative is positioned as a natural next phase in the evolution of the comprehensive cardiac care model, and builds upon the nationally recognized success of the NCH Rooney Heart Institute. NCH’s heart team, repeatedly recognized among the nation’s leading cardiac care programs, was named one of America’s Top 50 Hospitals, placing it in the top 1% of U.S. hospitals for overall clinical excellence, including cardiac care, and was also recognized among the nation’s top hospitals for cardiac care by Money magazine.

Expanding heart failure capabilities will further strengthen the foundation of our robust mechanical circulatory support program while enabling access to advanced therapies such as left ventricular assist devices (LVAD) and heart transplantation for the most complex patients. This next phase reflects both our readiness and our responsibility to deliver world-class care closer to home.

Central to the expansion is the depth of the physician proficiency already in place at the Rooney Heart Institute, including specialists with extensive experience in heart transplantation, critical care and novel mechanical circulatory support solutions. Physicians such as Tommy Caranasos, MD, Vivianna Navas, MD, and Lavinia Kolarczyk, MD among others, bring forth extensive background in cardiothoracic surgery, heart failure management, and transplant-related care, allowing NCH to build upon its strong clinical foundation. The transplant institute will also house and ignite in parallel the foundations of other solid organ transplant capabilities, including kidney transplant.

Over the past four years, NCH has established the pillars of a highly successful heart failure and cardiomyopathy program. The development of a heart transplant program represents the next logical milestone, one that is supported by the clinical depth, infrastructure, and experience now in place.

The launch of an LVAD program will be pivotal to the next phase in growth, providing advanced therapy options for patients with refractory heart failure who are either not yet transplant candidates, awaiting transplantation, and those for whom mechanical circulatory support is the most appropriate long-term therapy.

NCH has engaged in comprehensive planning across clinical, operational, and regulatory pathways, as well as strategic academic and regional collaborations to ensure the program meets the most rigorous standards of quality, safety, and patient outcomes. This growth in advanced cardiovascular care reflects the extraordinary dedication of our clinical teams and the trust our community places in us every day.

In recent years, the NCH Rooney Heart Institute has continued to advance cardiovascular innovation and access to the latest therapies. NCH has been recognized among the top 5% in the nation for overall cardiac services for seven consecutive years (2020–2026) and has received national distinctions for excellence across pulmonary, cardiac, orthopedic, and critical care.

This announcement reflects a comprehensive planning and strategic process. No final timelines have been established, and we will share updates as it progresses through feasibility analysis, regulatory review, and partnership discussions.