Now offering FARAPULSE™ Pulsed Field Ablation for atrial fibrillation

Advanced, comprehensive care close to home

Penn State Health provides the most advanced diagnosis and treatment of heart and vascular conditions in Berks County at St. Joseph Medical Center and convenient locations in the community. Whether you want to lower your risk of cardiovascular disease or need immediate treatment, you can count on expert care and personal attention from skilled, experienced doctors, nurses and technologists. If higher-level heart treatment is needed, our heart team is backed by the advanced expertise of Penn State Heart and Vascular Institute in Hershey.

Treatment based on your needs

We use the latest approaches to find heart and vascular disease and develop treatment based on your needs. Our doctors specialize in minimally invasive, traditional and hybrid (combines minimally invasive and open surgery approaches) procedures. Our Cardiac Rehabilitation program helps you recover from cardiovascular disease and learn how to eat better, exercise and maintain good health for life.

We treat the full spectrum of heart and vascular disease:

• Aortic aneurysm
• Arrhythmia (heart rhythm disorders like atrial fibrillation or AFib)
• Congenital heart disease (adult and pediatric)
• Coronary artery disease
• Carotid artery disease
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Hypertension/high blood pressure
• Peripheral artery disease
• Structural and valvular heart disease (including aortic valve disease)

We’re investing in leading-edge technology for you

Because you’ve made Berks County your home, we’re committed to providing you care for even the most complex heart and vascular conditions without the need to travel to Philadelphia or Baltimore. Penn State Health is recruiting a growing number of expert vascular surgeons, cardiothoracic surgeons and cardiologists and continues to invest in leading-edge technology that benefits patients right here in Berks County: 

• A new electrophysiology laboratory fully equipped with state-of-the-art technology to help improve the quality of life for patients with chronic or potentially dangerous heart rhythm problems
• A hybrid cardiac suite that combines the features of a cardiac catheterization lab with those of an operating room to enable more complex interventions for structural and coronary heart disease and endovascular aneurysms
• A full spectrum of non-invasive cardiac imaging technology including PET/CT scan and an industry-leading MRI that adapts to your body for a more precise, fast and comfortable exam
• Innovative medical device technologies that offer less-invasive procedures and quicker recovery, such as the new FARAPULSE™ Pulsed Field Ablation System** that uses ultra-rapid electrical impulses, cryoablation and robot-assisted ablation to treat AFib; WATCHMAN, which reduces the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation; TVAR, which is a minimally invasive option for aortic valve replacement, and Transcarotid Artery Revascularization or TCAR, which treats carotid artery disease.

Nationally recognized cardiovascular care

Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center has earned national recognition for the exceptional care we offer patients in Berks County. 

Our latest awards:

• 2024 U.S. New & World Report High Performing Hospital for treating heart attack and heart failure
• 2024 American College of Cardiology’s National Cardiovascular Data Registry Chest Pain - Myocardial Infarction Registry Platinum Performance Award for quality of care for heart attack patients
• 2024 American Heart Association’s Get with the Guidelines - Heart Failure Gold Plus with Target: Heart Failure Honor Roll, Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll and Coronary Artery Disease STEMI receiving Gold and Target: Type 2 Diabetes
• 2023 Healthgrades® Five-Star Recipient for Treatment of Heart Attack
• 2023 Healthgrades® America’s 250 Best Hospital Award for overall clinical excellence
• The Joint Commission’s Advanced Primary Stroke Center Certification
• The Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification in Heart Failure

Lifesaving Emergency Care

The Emergency Department at Penn State Health St. Joseph Medical Center is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to handle injuries, illnesses and life-threatening medical emergencies. Our compassionate, highly trained emergency medicine physicians and clinicians specialize in the assessment and treatment of heart and vascular patients. From their partnership with Emergency Medical Services to the team approach with the specialty clinicians in our new catheterization laboratory, they are focused on achieving the best long-term outcomes for all patients.

Our clinical trials offer life-changing therapies

Our cardiovascular specialists are committed to preventing heart and vascular disease and finding better treatments. Our researchers continue to advance the field with groundbreaking, lifesaving research, focused on arrhythmias and heart failure, heart devices, minimally invasive approaches, vascular surgery and more.

Another Chance, With a New Heart.

Lois Angelisanti was preparing for ankle surgery when tests showed she was having a heart attack. She had no symptoms. Then, tests revealed her heart had been damaged by multiple unnoticed heart attacks. As nonsurgical treatments began to fail, she found new hope in the Heart Transplant Program at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Today, Lois greets each day with gratitude – for her new heart, for the donor who made her life possible and for the skilled surgeons at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center surgeons who restored her life.