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Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health – Crawfordsville announces the addition of Cardiac Rehab program

Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health – Crawfordsville will open a Cardiac Rehabilitation program, starting Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2012.

Cardiac rehabilitation, also called cardiac rehab programs, provide supervised exercise, nutrition counseling and education for patients who have recently been diagnosed with cardiac problems, often times after cardiac surgery. To participate in cardiac rehab, patients must have a physician referral.

Cardiac Rehab will be supervised by Greg Woodsmall, manager of Respiratory/ Cardiopumlonary Services at Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health – Crawfordsville. Nicole Olliges has recently been hired as lead exercise physiologist for the program.

Some benefits of cardiac rehab programs include:

  • Living longer and lessening chances for another heart attack;
  • Controlling heart disease symptoms;
  • Stopping or reversing damage to your blood vessels in your heart;
  • Lessening the physical and emotional effects of heart disease;
  • Improving one’s stamina and strength, getting one back to usual activities, including work, hobbies and regular exercise; and
  • Improving confidence and well-being.
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We are excited to offer a new service to our patients. By offering Cardiac Rehab to our community, many patients can stay close to home instead of driving to Lafayette or Indianapolis or elsewhere.

Our program is based off of the long-time and very successful Cardiac Rehab program at Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health – Lafayette Central. As we do not offer heart surgery at our Crawfordsville hospital, we transfer many people to Lafayette or Indianapolis. The hospitals at those locations offer cardiac and pulmonary rehab programs. Patients who go elsewhere can work with their physicians to be referred to this local program."

 

Tom Peck, Executive Director
Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health - Crawfordsville

The program will use space in inpatient Physical/Occupational Therapy, located by the hospital’s Laboratory Services and across from Respiratory/Cardiopumonary Services. Renovations to the area include installing a central desk for staff and equipment, as well as purchasing exercise and cardiac monitoring equipment.

Michael Walls, M.D.​, a cardiologist with St.Vincent Medical Group, will serve as the program’s medical director.

For more information on Franciscan St. Elizabeth Health – Crawfordsville’s Cardiac Rehab program, please call (765) 364-8938.​

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Media Contacts
Bill Bero
Regional Media Relations Specialist, Northern Indiana Hospitals
(219) 661-3299, ext. 207
Joe Stuteville
Media Relations Manager, Franciscan St. Francis Health
(317) 782-7986