Leading With Heart

A major expansion of heart and vascular care — a project that Norman and Sylvia Samet hope to rally the community around through a transformational $3 million gift — will build on decades of cardiovascular innovation and excellence.

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Of all the health care we deliver, heart and vascular often comes with the greatest urgency and the gravest threat. A patient has just minutes to get the care needed to overcome a cardiovascular crisis and mitigate long-term damage. There’s no time to ask questions or to deliberate where to receive care — in fact, there’s little opportunity to even stop and think. And with heart disease being the second-leading cause of death in North Carolina, few are immune from its threat.

That’s the bad news.

But Cone Health has the good news.

Decades ago, our community made the decision to develop our health system and region as an innovator in cardiovascular care. We cultivated leaders in the field, built outstanding facilities, invested in life-saving technology, and made a promise to plan strategically to keep Cone Health, and our community members, at the forefront of heart care.

“We’re fortunate to have such excellent doctors here and we're just so proud of them, so we feel it is important to support their work,” says Norman Samet, founder and chairman of Samet Corporation, a prominent Greensboro-based construction company. In 2022, he and his wife Sylvia made the largest-ever donation to Cone Health: a $3 million gift to support the expansion of Heart & Vascular care across the Cone Health system.

What will a $200 million expansion of Heart & Vascular mean for our community?

New and expanded treatment areas with the latest technology for leading-edge care.

Redesigned research space with more clinical trials for more patients in more locations.

Advanced imaging for early heart disease detection and prevention.

New rehab facilities with medical fitness, nutrition counseling and a demonstration kitchen.

And at Moses Cone Hospital, we will bring care providers and patients together in one complex, improving the patient care journey as well as the ability for providers to provide team-based care. Appointments will be under one roof or within walking distance — cardiology; heart, vascular and chest surgery; nurse visits; nutrition; imaging; pharmacy; wellness; social services and transportation. Read more here.

This is our focus for 2023 and beyond — and we are well on our way, thanks to the partnership of Norman and Sylvia Samet, who are helping carry the torch forward.

The Samet’s $3 million gift is the largest-ever to the Cone Health system.

“Throughout my years in the construction business, economic development was much of my focus,” Norman says. “I'm proud of the fact that we built many facilities that in turn created jobs. Sylvia and I want to make sure that Greensboro continues to grow and that we are well-served with world-quality health care and outstanding facilities. To have a building that's all cardiovascular care, with nationally recognized physicians who are working together and using all of the newest equipment — this couldn't be a better opportunity. We feel very confident and encouraged, and we want this gift to be a gift to everyone, across all of our communities.”

For Norman and Sylvia both, their donation also is a way to pay back a health system they see as a trusted friend that’s been there for them all along: following Norman’s heart attack 13 years ago; throughout the most challenging time, when one of their children faced a devastating disease; in sickness — and in wellness.

“We want to be there for the health system that has been there for us,” Sylvia says. “Six of our grandchildren were born here. Our daughter Leslye had incredible care providers when she was treated for T-cell lymphoma. Of course, Norman and I have both been treated and cared for by Cone Health over the years. We’re the luckiest people in the world to be living in Greensboro, North Carolina, with a health system this outstanding.”