Cardiac Rehabilitation

Heart Health Support

When your physician says it’s time to begin a cardiac rehabilitation request a referral to the certified program at GCMH. Cardiac rehabilitation sessions help you return to a normal lifestyle and reduce the risk of future heart issues after the following events:

  • heart attack
  • open heart surgery
  • heart valve replacement or repair
  • angioplasty or stents, angina
  • congestive heart failure
  • peripheral artery disease

Convenient access to the hospital, caring certified cardiac rehab professionals, and a comfortable rehabilitation environment make GCMH Cardiac Rehabilitation a clear choice for your heart health support.

Cardiac Rehabilitation

This outpatient program includes exercise training to strengthen the heart muscles and teaches skills for living a heart healthy lifestyle. Cardiac rehabilitation may begin one to two weeks after an acute heart event, and continues for approximately twelve weeks. The program includes:

  • Education to promote lifestyle changes that help reduce the risk of future heart events
  • Evaluation of cardiac response during monitored exercise sessions to improve cardiovascular fitness and endurance 
  • Safe, individually designed exercise plans
  • Diet and lifestyle education
  • Stress management
  • Psychological and social support 

Other cardiac rehabilitation services include Cardiac Stress Testing (at a physician’s direction) and Smoking Cessation.

The GCMH Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation

When your physician recommends pulmonary rehabilitation these sessions are designed to help you:

  • build endurance
  • decrease shortness of breath with daily activities 
  • reduce factors that may contribute to the exacerbation and progression of lung disease

This outpatient program includes individualized exercise training and teaches strategies and breathing training to improve quality of life and increase activity tolerance. During pulmonary rehab you will receive:

  • education such as breathing training, energy conservation and infection control to help with exacerbation management
  • evaluation of response to exercise 
  • safe individualized diet and lifestyle guidance, ex: prescriptions
  • psychosocial support (anxiety & breaking the dyspnea cycle)