Athens-area people suffering from heart problems or diabetes can visit O’Bleness Memorial Hospital for their needs instead of traveling to hospitals in Columbus and Parkersburg, W.Va.

O’Bleness had a celebration for the new Cornwell Center for Cardiovascular and Diabetes Care on Sept. 16 and 17. The public was given tours of the $3 million, 15,000-square-foot facility, which opened this summer after a year of construction.

The Cornwell Center at the west end of the hospital is the new home of HeartWorks, O’Bleness’ cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation program. The Appalachian Rural Health Institute Diabetes and Endocrine Center, previously located at Ohio University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, also moved into the Cornwell Center with MidOhio Cardiology and Vascular Consultants to provide closely connected diabetes and heart care, Jack Brose, OU-COM dean, said.

Medical statistics show a connection between diabetes and heart disease, which is the leading cause of death for the 17 million Americans who have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association and the American College of Cardiology.

The incidence of heart disease in Ohio is almost two to three times the incidence reported in the United States, according to an O’Bleness news release.

Patients requiring a quick check of their pacemakers would drive to the Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus for a five-minute appointment, Linda Weiss, public relations manager for O’Bleness, said. Prior to the opening of the Cornwell Center, O’Bleness also had to Med-flight heart attack victims to Riverside.

O’Bleness officials expect to see between 500 and 700 diagnostic cardiac catheterization procedures each year from the Athens County area, according to research conducted by OhioHealth and commissioned by O’Bleness.

A $1.2 million memorial gift from the estate of Foster and Helen Cornwell, who lived and worked in Athens from 1935 to 1995, made the Cornwell Center possible, according to a news release. O’Bleness also raised more than $200,000 and received contributions from a variety of sponsors.