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Long Term Heart Care: Fort HealthCare offers free and low cost heart care programs

Sunday, June 14, 2009

<p>Fort HealthCare nurses, physicians and staff from all departments work diligently to not only provide exceptional care to our patients, but also contribute selflessly to a variety of community causes, events and programs.</p>

<p>One such program is the Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program at Fort HealthCare where staff recognize that the heart is the most vital organ in the human body. When a person&rsquo;s heart is in danger, their entire world can change dramatically.</p>

<p>Fort HealthCare&rsquo;s concern for long term heart care of cardiac and pulmonary patients extends beyond their inpatient hospital stay.&nbsp;Staff provide encouragement, support and continuous education to help those patients make significant lifestyle changes.</p>

<p>The educational component of the Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation programs address a wide variety of important topics for patients and their families all at no charge. The programs are designed to help an individual with heart disease return to an optimal level of physical, emotional, social and vocational well-being.</p>

<p>One-on-one and group educational sessions are led by Fort HealthCare staff. Respiratory and occupational therapists, exercise physiologists, dietitians, and pharmacists donate their time for teaching. Classes are offered 52 weeks per year and provide information about medications, risk factors for heart disease, smoking cessation, anatomy and physiology of the heart, exercise guidelines, dietary intake and label reading, weight management, portion control, nutrition, stress management techniques, and ways to live with chronic heart conditions.</p>