Cardiac Rehabilitation and Prevention programs teach individuals about their disease, symptoms, and management, and help individuals with or without heart disease to improve their coronary risk factors. Available programs help participants stop smoking, lose weight, lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol, and reduce emotional stress.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Helps the Patient:

• Begin an exercise program that is effective, safe, and appropriate for the individual's health, age, and physical ability.
• Recover from heart disease.
• Recognize heart disease signs and symptoms.
• Determine ideal body weight and daily caloric requirement.
• Lower blood cholesterol through good nutrition and physical activity.
• Progress physical activity at home.
• Prepare for return to work.
• Reduce the risk of a new heart attack through risk factor modification.
• Start a home exercise program and if appropriate advise one concerning purchase of exercise equipment.

For the Patient's Physician, Cardiac Rehabilitation:

• Functions as an interactive communication tool between the physician and patient.
• Provides valuable information about the patient's recovery and progress by monitoring vital signs, symptoms, and exercise responses including the electrocardiogram, heart rate, blood pressure, and perceived exertion.
• Provides specific guidelines for physical activity in an encouraging and motivating manner.
• Serves as a single resource for educational information about heart disease and its prevention.
• Offers risk factor screening and modification programs for the patient and for family members who may be at risk.
• Provides long-term supervised exercise and education through our advanced Phase 3 or 4 maintenance programs.