Spring is a time of renewal and hope, so it’s fitting that a new multidisciplinary center for the diagnosis and care of patients with lung disease opened recently in North Haven.
“I can’t tell you how incredibly pleased and excited I am to share this moment with you,” said Jennifer Possick, MD, associate professor of medicine at Yale School of Medicine’s Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine (Yale-PCCSM). Possick spoke during a virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 31, 2021, one day after the Winchester Center for Lung Disease (WCLD) opened in North Haven.
Possick, the director of WCLS as well as of Yale-PCCSM’s outpatient services, thanked leadership, physicians and staff members for their tireless support that helped bring the project to fruition. The center is a joint partnership with Yale New Haven Hospital, Yale Medicine, and Yale-PCCSM.
“For me personally, this is a great event,” said Naftali Kaminski, MD, Boehringer-Ingelheim Endowed Professor of Internal Medicine, explaining that increasing access of patients with respiratory diseases to outstanding cutting edge care has been his main objecting since joining Yale as chief of Yale-PCCSM seven years ago.
With 10,000 square feet of renovated space, the center triples its capacity to treat patients with lung diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis, sarcoidosis, pulmonary hypertension, cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, and tuberculosis. WCLD also houses the Post-COVID-19 Recovery Program.
The facility has 30 exam, consultation, and procedure rooms, and access to nearby laboratory services and multi-modality imaging and contains state-of-the-art infection control measures including negative pressure ventilation.
“We are tripling our capacity with over 50 specialists who are experts in lung disease,” Kaminski said. “We have a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility with some of the best physicians and nurses in the country -- and free parking. Who could compete with that?”
Also speaking at the virtual ribbon-cutting ceremony were Keith Churchwell, MD, president of Yale New Haven Hospital, Francine LoRusso, senior vice president of operations at Yale New Haven Health, and Margot Manacchio, executive director, Medicine Services, for Yale New Health. Jonathan Siner, MD, associate professor at Yale-PCCSM, and Lynn Tanoue, MD, MBA, professor of medicine at Yale-PCCSM, also participated in the virtual ribbon cutting.
Patients can schedule an appointment by calling 203-495-2410.
The Section of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine is one of the eleven sections within YSM’s Department of Internal Medicine. To learn more about Yale-PCCSM, visit PCCSM’s website, or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.