“I’m going to take care of you.”

The heart care in Alexandria that saved Herbert’s life, built over 50 years.

Herbert Perkins has always enjoyed being active.

Often, you could find him working in a neighbor’s yard or driving a church van full of kids. He would tell you he felt the best he had felt in his life.

“I didn’t even know anything was wrong,” Herbert said.

However, during a routine visit, his CHRISTUS Health primary care provider, Janice Dara, MD, noticed his blood pressure wasn’t in normal range.

He did more tests with a cardiologist in Alexandria. A stress test raised enough concern that the team wanted to take the next step and look more closely.

Then his interventional cardiologist, Dr. Muhammad Pir, said, “You shouldn’t leave the building.”

Dr. Pir explained that Herbert had severe blockages in his arteries and they needed to be treated immediately.

Herbert was shocked.

“All I can do was cry,” he said.

Unfortunately, Herbert’s diagnosis isn’t unique. Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in Louisiana.

What is unique is how quickly – and where – his care happened.

In many smaller communities, a diagnosis like Herbert’s often means long drives to large metropolitan hospitals and delayed treatment.

That is not the case in Alexandria.

A Donation That Changed Heart Care in Alexandria

Herbert’s care is the result of a decision made decades earlier, in 1975, when Alexandria became one of the first small communities to offer open-heart surgery locally.

With a donation from the Coughlin-Saunders Foundation, St. Frances Cabrini Hospital invested in heart-care technology, equipment, and specialized teams typically found in large, university-affiliated medical centers.

Advanced heart care no longer belonged exclusively to major cities.

What That Meant for Patients in Alexandria

For patients across Central Louisiana, the impact was immediate and lasting.

Instead of travelling for hours to cities like New Orleans or Houston, heart patients could receive preventive care, complex procedures, and follow-up treatment in Alexandria.

Emergencies no longer meant a three-hour drive just to see a specialist. Recovery happened near family, jobs, and most importantly, near home.

More than fifty years later, this level of care mattered most when Herbert’s test results revealed how serious his condition was. Once the severity of his condition was clear, the focus shifted immediately.

His cardiology team brought in surgeons, explained the findings to Herbert and his family, and outlined the next steps.

Herbert did not have to wait for care. In fact, the care team waited for Herbert to decide whether to move on with treatment.

He underwent triple bypass surgery the same day as his diagnosis. When he woke up the next morning, the procedure was successfully behind him.

“It was just like a breath,” Herbert said. “Like you swim down and you come back up for air.”

Recovery followed the same coordinated approach.

Nurses, physicians, and rehabilitation specialists worked closely with Herbert as he regained strength, managed new medications, and began cardiac rehab.

“Everything was focused on me getting better,” Herbert said.

Where heart care really begins

The most important moment in Herbert’s care happened during a routine primary care visit.

A family doctor’s main job is to identify problems and navigate patients to the right type of care.

“The routine visits are so important because your risk factors change,” said Dr. Dara, Herbert’s primary care provider. “They can change in three months. They can change in six months.”

In Herbert’s case, she urged him to take the next step because of the high blood pressure readings.

Initially, he asked, "Do I really need these tests, Janet?"

“I told him, ‘I really think you do,’” she said. “We have built trust over the years, so he ultimately decided to get them done.”

Dr. Pir, who specializes in nuclear cardiology, interventional cardiology and internal medicine, emphasized that without that early primary-care action, the outcome could have been very different.

Herbert’s heart disease probably would not have been found in time to prevent an emergency.

“The most unique thing about our system at CHRISTUS is where we have the primary care physician in the mix,” Dr. Pir said. “The specialists are directly in contact with the primary care physicians.”

For patients like Herbert, a Vietnam veteran and someone who has never been in a hospital for health issues, that coordination made all the difference.

“It’s like the military,” Herbert said. “It’s just like your sergeant telling you, ‘I’m going to take care of you.’”

That level of coordination isn’t accidental.

When CHRISTUS Health partnered with St. Frances Cabrini Hospital in 1999, it strengthened heart care in Alexandria while keeping it local. CHRISTUS Health brought additional expertise, technology, investment, and resources to Alexandria, helping expand the possibilities for heart care.

Today, the CHRISTUS Heart & Vascular Institute brings that approach under one roof, connecting primary care, cardiology, surgery, and recovery into a single, coordinated program designed to move quickly when it matters most.

Why choose CHRISTUS Health in Alexandria?

Herbert’s lifesaving care started with a routine exam. Routine visits help catch risks early and connect patients to the right specialists.

“I don’t want nobody else to go through this,” he said. “Somebody helped me. I want to help somebody else.”

Herbert said you should not wait to feel sick. Keep your regular checkups. Listen when your doctor raises a concern. And trust that, when something serious is found, care is right here in Alexandria.

Need a heart checkup? CHRISTUS Health has primary care doctors with appointments available in Alexandria. Schedule an appointment with a primary care doctor in Alexandria today to protect your heart and health.