Dr. Gregory H. Jones is a surgeon specializing in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at McLeod Regional Medical Center, a Cleveland Clinic Cardiothoracic Surgery Affiliate Program.  He is board-certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery.

Dr. Jones serves as the Chairman for many McLeod Clinical Effectiveness initiatives critical to improving patient outcomes and advancing clinical processes.  For many years, Dr. Jones has served as the Chairman for the Clinical Effectiveness Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) Committee. 

“Under his leadership in Clinical Effectiveness initiatives, Dr. Jones has worked diligently on improvements in cardiac surgery that have resulted in even better care being provided to our patients,” said Donna Isgett, Vice President Clinical Effectiveness.  “His guidance has helped to reduce mortality, complication and infection rates to below national averages in many areas of our program.”

Dr. Jones began his medical career at McLeod after completing his Cardiovascular Surgery Residency at the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical School in 1988.  He left briefly to practice in Dallas before returning to Florence in 1998.  In reference to his return, Dr. Jones was quoted as stating, “Returning to Florence was not a hard decision for my family and I to make.  We really enjoy the area and are happy to be back with our friends.”

In 2008, Dr. Jones was elected as the Chief of Staff for McLeod Regional Medical Center.  It is a six year leadership commitment for each physician who accepts the responsibility of Chief of Staff.  The leadership path for McLeod Medical Staff begins as Secretary, then Vice Chief of Staff and ultimately Chief of Staff, with each position held for two years.

Dr. Jones is also a member of the McLeod Cancer Conference Board.  Many people may not be aware that patients in need of surgery for lung cancer require the services of a cardiothoracic surgeon.  “In that capacity, I work with the Cancer Conference Board and the McLeod Cancer Committee to determine the best course of treatment for patients diagnosed with lung cancer,” stated Dr Jones.

“At McLeod, we are committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our patients.  As the Chief of Staff, I am directly involved in the planning goals for the hospital and working together to establish new services for the betterment of patient care,” Dr. Jones added.

Dr. Jamie Holland of McLeod Cardiothoracic Surgical Associates is a Cardiothoracic Surgeon who specializes in surgeries related to heart disease. In addition to his advanced cardiovascular surgical training, Dr. Holland spent two years at the National Heart Blood Institute studying surgery for heart valve disease and the effect of valve disease on the heart muscle itself.

Dr. Holland has highly concentrated experience in mitral valve repair and replacement.  Mitral valve repair is used to treat leakage or stenosis (narrowing) of the mitral valve.  The mitral valve allows blood to flow into the heart’s main pumping chamber, the left ventricle. When the mitral valve leaks, blood flows back into the lungs. 

“Human heart valves are not designed to last forever,” said Dr. Holland. “As lifestyle improvements and medical science enable people to live longer, the frequency of heart valve failure increases. In general, as we age, we are more susceptible to heart disease.  Just as our skin sags and our eyes need glasses when we age, our heart valves tend to wear out.”

As a McLeod Cardiac Surgeon, my goal for heart valve problems is to help return patients to a quality of life they once knew.  That’s why at McLeod our focus is most often on repairing rather than replacing a patient’s heart valve.  Valve repair, when appropriate, eliminates the need for very expensive blood-thinners and reduces the risk of infection." 

Mitral valve repair is unique to every patient.  Successful repair requires experience and an understanding of how the heart’s valve and muscle structure function as one.  That’s why mitral valve repair requires competent heart and valve surgeons. My success rate for mitral valve repair exceeds 81% compared to the national rate of 64%."

I believe being a surgeon is a special charge. It's a privilege because patients come to us for guidance on a decision that they need to make relatively soon.  In most cases, these situations are not one where there has been a long term patient/ physician relationship.  Those patients trust their lives, their souls, and their future to us.  So, we make a decision to use the skills of our surgeon's hands to help heal their bodies.  It is a very reverent profession.  We become personally attached with each and every individual.  We make it a point to look in their eyes and just imagine what their aspirations are going to be," added Dr. Holland.