Cardiovascular Solutions has plans to bring five to seven doctors to Clarksdale and up to 100 employees, but the number they are most proud of is a different one.
“We have reduced amputations by 88-percent over the past four years,” said Dr. Foluso Fakorede. “We use the term preventive treatment to improve the lives of our patients.”
Fakorede and more than a dozen employees from Cardiovascular Solutions were in town Thursday to take a look at what will soon be their new office in downtown Clarksdale.
Cardiovascular Solutions of Cleveland bought the Regions Bank building more than two months ago and Fakorede said contractors have moved in to convert the bank into a clinic.
“We are going to renovate it in stages,” he explained. “The first stage will set up the clinic on the third floor and we hope to have that ready in six to eight weeks.”
He said refitting the old bank lobby to serve as one of the largest cardiovascular clinics in the Mississippi Delta will probably take a year.
The first stage will see about 30 employees ranging from nurses, clerks and medical technicians working out of the office. Fakorede said he already has his team lined up, but hopes to hire more from the Clarksdale market.
Fakorede said the business model is to make Cardiovascular Solution in Clarksdale a hub for treating cardiovascular disease.
And Fakorede prefers to talk more about healing people than economic development.
“The epicenter of cardiovascular disease runs from Memphis to Vicksburg,” said Fakorede. “This will be one-stop. We will treat and prevent heart disease, vascular problems, stroke and high blood pressure.”
Fakorede said as he looked at his practice in Cleveland, he realized transportation was a problem for many of his patients. He pointed out he already has a sizable client base in Clarksdale.
“We looked at Grenada and then we heard about this building,” said Fakorede. “The transition from a bank to a clinic won’t be easy, but we’ll make it happen.”
He said he loves downtown Clarksdale, there is plenty of parking, the building is already ADA compliant in many ways and he said it is big and lofty.
Cardiovascular Solutions opened in Cleveland a few years ago and quickly outgrew its building.
Fakorede said the plan is to treat 200 patients a week. He said the completed clinic will sport state-of-the art diagnostic equipment and the medical technicians to run them. He said lab work will also be done in Clarksdale.
“We are excited to be in Clarksdale and our staff is too,” he explained. “We see a lot of potential here, for both our staff and what we want to do for the community.”
Fakorede grew up in Nigeria and immigrated to America as a young teenager. He attended college in New Jersey where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in biology and a minor in economics from Rutgers University. Dr. Fakorede received his medical degree from UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in Camden, New Jersey.
He completed internship and residency in internal medicine at New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Hospital.
During his fellowship, Dr. Fakorede was honored with the distinction of Chief Cardiology Fellow. Dr. Fakorede specializes in preventative cardiovascular management, woman’s heart health and catheter-based procedural focus in coronary atherosclerosis disease (CAD) and peripheral atherosclerosis disease (PAD).
He has been recognized for advanced technical skills in preventing amputations and utilizes advanced minimally invasive techniques in treating patients with peripheral arterial disease.
In 2015, Dr. Fakorede started Cardiovascular Solutions of Central Mississippi with a mission to educate and provide quality health care for all. He has become a national voice in the fight on the impact of health disparity in underserved communities.
-30-
•
•
COPY
COPY
-30-
