More than $871,000 was raised to support comprehensive cardiac care at Emanuel Medical Center during the hospital’s six-week annual giving campaign, known as Legacy Circle.

Community volunteers raised $575,871 and Emanuel employees raised an additional $295,370, the hospital reported.

“These generous donations represent money given from the heart, for the heart,” said Bill Gibbs of Turlock, the fund-drive chair. “It’s an extraordinary amount, given the state of the economy and our area’s 18 percent unemployment rate, which is double the national average. I couldn’t be prouder of all of our volunteers and donors.”

Shirley Pok, Emanuel’s vice president for development, said the community has been incredible in supporting the hospital’s vision of bringing new top-quality health services to Turlock – like cancer care and heart surgery.

“Over the past decade, Emanuel has broadened its scope of top-flight services and ushered in extraordinary healthcare advancements – the most recent being one of our community’s greatest needs, cardiac care,” she said. “Our community recognizes the need for these lifesaving services and has embraced the need through its charitable giving. We are humbled by and appreciative of their kindness.”

This year’s Legacy Circle fund drive was the second year of a five-year effort to raise $5 million total to support expanded cardiac care at Emanuel. In year one, the community reached its $1 million target.  This year’s efforts were just a heart beat short of the $1 million goal.

The money raised by Legacy Circle will be used to help build two new cardiac operating suites at Emanuel – including a cutting-edge room that combines a surgical suite with an interventional radiology scanner –and will allow Emanuel doctors to treat two emergency patients at once. The new surgical suites will cost nearly $4.5 million to build and equip and are scheduled to open in late 2012.

Emanuel’s Cardiovascular Services Department opened in April 2010 and performed its first open heart surgery this May. Since then, Emanuel’s cardiothoracic and vascular surgery team has performed several additional open heart surgeries, including multiple bypass operations and valve repairs.

Local cardiologists have also used the advanced Cardiac Cath and Interventional Lab at Emanuel to perform more than a dozen emergency angioplasties in patients having heart attacks as well as more than 600 other diagnostic and interventional procedures already this year.

While the Legacy Circle campaign is over, donations continue to be accepted. To donate, call 664-5180 or visit www.emanuelmedicalcenter.org/give.