XENIA — Cardiac Rehabilitation Week gets to the heart of making a patient’s recovery a lifetime of well-being. Greene Memorial Hospital will take part in the national recognition with a special open house of its Cardiac Rehab Unit 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14 on the third floor of the Vera Schneider building at Greene Memorial Hospital.

The open house will feature the program’s staff and doctors who will be available to talk about the importance of the facility to Greene County.

“We will be open for the community to come see what rehab is all about, visit our exercise facility and learn more about the program,” said Greene Memorial Hospital Clinical Nurse Manager for ICU, PICC, Cardiopulmonary Services, Dialysis Frank Farkash.

Greene Memorial Hospital’s cardiac rehab program works in three phases. The first follows immediately after treatment for a heart attack or heart surgery, then once a patient is discharged from the hospital, phases 2-3 are essential in the patient’s long term recovery, added Farkash.

Phase 2 is 36 sessions of monitored exercise therapy. The patient will be hooked up to a heart monitor and be in the care of advanced cardiac nursing staff. Phase 3 is the maintenance part of the program, which allows the patient to continue to exercise while being in the care of staff.

Farkash explained that many patients come and stay at the facility to continue therapy exercise as they appreciate the atmosphere and the comradery of patients inspiring other patients.

“Some residents have been coming for more than 20 years as they have made friends, and they enjoy the moral support and friendships they have created,” Farkash said. Former patients and residents are invited to continue to exercise for a fee.

The Cardiac Rehab Unit is accredited through the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR).

As part of the program, patients also receive counseling on diet and stress reduction.

“We are here to help the whole patient,” he said.

The unit provides improvement in exercise tolerance, functional capacity and blood pressure control. All patients are supervised by a cardiologist and their progress is reviewed each month.

Cardiac Rehabilitation Week – initiated by the AACVPR – coincides with both Valentine’s Day and American Heart Month in an effort to draw greater national attention to heart health. This year’s theme, “Making Positive Changes, One Beat at a Time,” honors the patients, families, and healthcare professionals who are dedicated to cardiac rehabilitation as a vehicle for a healthy lifestyle.

“We invite anyone who is interested in learning more to drop in and meet our staff and enjoy some light refreshments,” he said.

Greene Memorial Hospital’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit is part of Kettering Health Network.

Story courtesy of The Greene Medical Foundation – Greene Memorial Hospital and Soin Medical Center hospital.