Hollister
– Dr. Joseph Klapper has plans to improve the very heart of this
community. As the new cardiologist on staff at Hazel Hawkins
Memorial Hospital, he might just do that.
Hollister – Dr. Joseph Klapper has plans to improve the very heart of this community. As the new cardiologist on staff at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, he might just do that.
Klapper, who began working at Hazel Hawkins on Feb. 1, is one of only two cardiologists at the hospital, and the only one available to do in-patient referrals.
Klapper, 42, came to Hollister from Los Angeles, where he was recruited from the renowned Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Hazel Hawkins CEO Ken Underwood said he’s excited about this new addition to the hospital’s staff.
“It’s very good for the community and our patients,” Underwood said.
Klapper is equally enthused about joining a community where he feels he can make a difference.
“When you have a community that’s not served by a cardiologist, there’s a huge threat of heart disease,” said Klapper. “In San Benito County or Hollister, there’s a unique opportunity to change the health of a community.”
Administrators at the hospital are hoping that the presence of a new cardiologist will bring back patients who were driving to Salinas or Gilroy in order to have their heart health monitored.
“We have a lot of patients who would go to other hospitals,” said Frankie Valent-Arballo, director of public relations at the hospital. “If they came in to the ER, we would treat them in the ER, but then they would be referred out for follow-up care. Now we have a board-certified cardiologist who can see them in the ER and that’s really important.”
Along with being available to patients in the emergency room and throughout the hospital, Klapper said he has plans to work with the hospital on education and outreach. Informing the public about the dangers of heart disease is a huge priority, he said.
“It’s important that you get the word out to the general population, to generate an awareness to the public,” Klapper said.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing more people each year than cancer or strokes.
One of the key ways to stop heart attacks is through prevention, Klapper said. He believes in a three-pronged approach to preventing heart disease and heart attacks: exercise, diet and medication.
“If all three prongs are used together, not only will they treat the disease, but they also treat the risk factors,” Klapper said.
Klapper is author of the book “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Lowering Your Cholesterol,” which focuses on reducing the risk factors that contribute to the threat of heart disease. He said the book is all part of his mission to get the word out about cardiac disease.
Klapper has been practicing medicine since 1990, when he received his medical degree Hahnemann University in Philadelphia. He moved to Hollister from Los Angeles with his wife, Regina, and three children.
“It’s very exciting to be able to drive to work and not to have to sit in any traffic,” Klapper said.
Alice Joy covers education for the Free Lance. You can reach her at 831.637.5566 ext. 336 or at [email protected].
