The Heart Center in Lewisburg, West Virginia has been serving the community for 20 years under the leadership of Doctor Thomas von Dohlen. In 2001, Doctor von Dohlen opened what is now known as the Heart Center. The original location was quite small as detailed by both Doctor von Dohlen and the Office Manager, Teresa Aultz. It was only around 1,000 square feet and could not contain a great deal of equipment. According to Doctor von Dohlen, the original office was once a tire store. Aultz said, “We had like three exam rooms.” They later moved to the current location, which is approximately five times the size of the original building. This not only provided more space and allowed for more patients, but it also allowed them to expand their services.
Aultz said a typical day in the office is always a “very busy atmosphere.” However, she goes on to say, “I feel like the employees that we have are family.” Aultz notes that she is often the first one in the office but regardless when people begin coming in, it is always “good morning, how are you?” Likewise, in the evening, before leaving everyone takes a moment to wish everyone else a good evening. Not only are the staff friendly with each other, but they also strive to be kind to patients. Doctor von Dohlen said, “My staff is very good at customer service as far as patients are concerned.”
The main goal at The Heart Center, according to Doctor von Dohlen is “to provide good service and to treat each patient as an individual and to be sure that we’re attentive to what their needs are.” Aultz says her favorite thing about working at The Heart Center is, “Taking care of the patients and learning more every day on what we could do better for that patient.”
The Heart Center provides many services on-site including various types of diagnostic tests. That way, patients don’t have to worry about traveling for testing.
According to Doctor von Dohlen, it is vital for patients to be honest about what is going on and the symptoms they are having. In terms of taking care of the heart, Doctor von Dohlen said, in general, it is important to have a sensible diet and it is recommended to have at least 150 minutes of moderate activity per week. However, he said what a sensible diet is and what type of activity is best varies from person to person. His exact recommendations are tailored to each individual.
Doctor von Dohlen said he has known since he was in high school that he wanted to go into medicine. When talking about why he chose cardiology, he said, “I basically, in high school knew that I wanted to do pre-med and become a doctor and in the process of going through medical school and residency I just had the most interest in cardiology, the way the heart works and the variety of things that can go on when people have heart problems and the field itself has a variety of testing and diagnostic things that always interested me as well.” When speaking about his favorite thing about cardiology, he said, “The challenge of solving puzzles, that’s what we do, we gather information, examine patients and try to put all of the pieces together and synthesize that into a diagnosis and a treatment plan.”
When asked what her favorite thing is about working with Doctor von Dohlen, Aultz said, “He has got such a great sense of humor and he loves music.” Even though they work on opposite sides of the building, Aultz said when she goes over to where he is working, he often has music playing and “loves to sing with the music.” She said her first impression of Doctor von Dohlen was his red hair when initially meeting him. In terms of personality and character, Aultz said her impressions of him have not changed, she has only gotten to know him better. She said, “He is a very caring, kind person.” Aultz went on to say her first thought about working with Doctor von Dohlen is, “The first thing I think is it’s amazing because he teaches us something new every day.”
For more information on The Heart Center, visit their Facebook page at “The Heart Center of WV”. To make an appointment or for additional information call 304-647-2030 or email teresa@heartcenterwv.com. The center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. and is located at 157 Skylar Drive, Lewisburg West Virginia.
