Public invited to meet heart specialists during free event in Macomb on Wednesday

MACOMB, Ill. — The best time for a person to learn about the healthcare available in their community is before care is needed. That’s why McDonough District Hospital and Blessing Health invite Macomb area residents to a “Meet and Greet” with two Blessing heart specialists providing care at MDH on Wednesday, Aug. 2, at the Macomb Country Club, 20 Hickory Drive.

People can arrive between 5 and 6:30 p.m., enjoy refreshments and learn more about the care provided by Dr. Farooq Junaid and Dr. Oleg Yurevich.

Junaid sees patients at MDH on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Internal Medicine, he completed a fellowship at Oklahoma State University Medical Center in Tulsa. Junaid completed his residency at St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields and earned his medical degree from Midwestern University in Downers Grove.

As a non-invasive cardiologist, Junaid’s areas of medical interest include coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, peripheral vascular and valvular heart disease.

In a press release, Junaid said, “I was raised with values to always respect and treat one as if they were my own family. The values the patient holds are paramount. We are all in this together, and it is a privilege to save another human life.”

Yurevich, a cardiac electrophysiologist, sees patients at MDH one Monday each month for diagnosis and treatment of malfunctions of the heart’s electrical system. Electrophysiologists diagnose and treat conditions such as:

• bradycardia, a heartbeat that is too slow;
• yachycardia, a heartbeat that is too fast;
• atrial fibrillation, a quivery, fluttery heartbeat;
• cardiac arrest, the sudden stopping of the heart;
• and other arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats) and heart disorders.

“It’s a specialty where you see results right away,” Yurevich said. “After I treat an arrhythmia, the patient leaves with a normal heart rate. It feels good for them and for me. You see an immediate effect.”

Yurevich is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, with added certification in cardiovascular disease. He completed a general cardiology fellowship at SUNY (State University of New York) Downstate Health Science University, Brooklyn, and in clinical cardiac electrophysiology at the University of Illinois Chicago.

MDH and Blessing Health began an affiliation in 2020 to bring select specialty care to the Macomb area for patient convenience.