Heart of the Matter

Dr. Westveer began his career in medicine twenty-eight years ago in southeast Michigan. He founded a private practice in cardiology at the Northpointe Heart Center in 1986, employing thirteen physicians engaged in the evaluation and treatment of heart disease. He has also served as vice-chief of cardiology at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan for over 10 years before becoming chairman of the division of cardiology at the Troy Beaumont Hospital five years ago. The Beaumont system is currently amongst the largest cardiology providers in the country and has been named regularly in the U.S. News and World Report's top fifteen hospitals in cardiac care. He has led the development of a full service cardiology division engaged in cardiac intervention, electrophysiology and cardiac surgery. He has been a driving force on hospital administrative committees, regional health care advisory committees, and was an active member of the Beaumont Board of Directors from 1999-2006. Sandra Jordan is an educator engaged in the creation and management of Montessori schools for children, and is currently executive director of the Beverly Hills Academy in Beverly Hills, Michigan. In her role, she has emphasized and perfected her need to communicate accurately and passionately to parents yet maintain the simplicity needed to talk directly and effectively with children. In the medical field, the enemy of sharing information with patients lies in the complexity and volume of medical information available from ever-growing sources. Every page of information shared in this book was first shared with Ms. Jordan. Her insight, common sense, and desire for simplicity in the explanations and vocabulary we selected played a vital role. Ms. Jordan's goal is to convey information that is appropriate, understandable, and meaningful.