FUMO RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL

     HARRISBURG, June 27, 2008 -- State Senator Vince Fumo (D-Philadelphia) was discharged from Harrisburg Hospital about 10:30 a.m. today. At the insistence of doctors, he will spend today resting at his home in Halifax, Dauphin County. 

     Gov. Ed Rendell and Democratic leader Sen. Robert Mellow (D-Lackawanna) visited Fumo in the hospital on Thursday night, and other Senate leaders spoke with him Thursday evening and this morning. The governor and senators said they hoped he would be back to resume work on the state budget by Saturday, and Fumo plans as of now to return to then. He will be available for consultation by phone today. 

     Fumo collapsed about 5 p.m. Thursday while on the floor of the Senate after feeling dizzy and lightheaded. Doctors who examined him at Harrisburg Hospital believe a combination of factors caused the incident – slight anemia, low blood sugar, dehydration, and the stress and irregular eating patterns during the week of budget negotiations at the Capitol.  At the hospital, he was hydrated and given medication. He is to have additional blood tests done on Monday.

     Fumo, 65, suffered a heart attack on March 2, but doctors saw no evidence that the Thursday collapse was heart-related.

     The senator expresses his gratitude to everyone who assisted him on Thursday – the doctors and staff at Harrisburg Hospital, the emergency medical personnel who came to the Capitol, the staff from the Capitol nurse’s office, and others who helped on the floor of the Senate.

     “I guess we tested out our emergency system, and it works,” Fumo said.

     He said he also extends particular thanks to Sen. Pat Vance (R-Cumberland) for her professionalism and comforting ways. Vance, a registered nurse, came to his aid on the Senate floor and stayed with him until he was placed in the ambulance for the trip to the hospital.    
 

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