A physician-owned hospital has been improving health care in the Hub City for more than a decade. It’s the only locally owned hospital in the region and they said they are more than just a medical center. 

“It is the best profession ever. It’s a privilege to help and care for people. It’s truly an honor,” said Dr. Alan Sharif, interventional cardiologist.

“We’re all here for the patients. That’s, at the end of the day, that’s why hospitals are here: to take care of the patients,” said Dr. Carl Britton, urologist. 

Behind the doors of Lubbock Heart & Surgical Hospital, there’s more than meets the eye. 

Dr. Britton is a urologist who specializes in treating genital and urinary organs for men and women. He and his team perform surgery on kidneys, prostates, bladders and more. 

“Incontinence, infertility, actually children are the most common ural birth defects. And it’s urological,” said Britton. 

He’s one of the two pediatric urologists in town. 

“Having a lady go to the gym or a run and not leak on herself for the first time in 10 years, that is incredibly rewarding,” Britton said. “When you can fix a baby and they don’t even know that you operated on them and you see them at the mall and the mom says, ‘This is Dr. Britton. He operated on you when you were a baby,’ and they have no clue who you are, which means they have no residual issues.”

This isn’t your normal 9-5 job. The doctors wake up as early as 4:30 in the morning and leave back home to their families at 7 p.m., always making sure their patients are healthy. 

“There’s one thing unique about cardiology. It is a profession that combines medicine and surgery,” said Dr. Sharif. 

Dr. Sharif’s job is to take care of one of your vital organs: your heart. 

“You truly make a difference in somebody’s life. We see patients extremely ill. Some of them come with a full cardiac arrest, major heart attacks. We can help them and turn them back ot the family rather quickly,” said Sharif. 

Typical days include making rounds, reviewing cases, consultations and taking pictures of your heart to double check it’s working the way it should.

“This is what a blockage inside the coronary artery looks like. Typically this could cause symptoms of chest discomfort to the patient,” said Sharif. 

Britton and Sharif said sometimes things can take a turn for the worst. 

“We’re able to help most people. When you can’t do it, it’s like, ‘I’m frustrated I can’t get the job done,’ but yet, you’ve done everything you possibly can,” said Britton. 

‘You lose a patient. It’s heart disease. It’s the most common part of life. Sometimes you lose a patient,” Sharif said.

But they always do what they can to save your life. 

“We are very proud of our staff. They thrive everyday to deliver the best care for our patients and they sure do,” said Sharif.

You can learn more about their hospital here. 

The Lubbock Heart & Surgical Hospital includes NorthStar Surgical Center, Cardiologists of Lubbock and Texas Physicians Group.