Coinciding with National Cardiac Rehab Week and National Heart Month, the Acton Exchange sat for an interview last week with Ginny Dow, R.N., director of the Cardiac Rehabilitation Department at Emerson Hospital, and Leah Lesser, senior manager, marketing communications, in the brand new facility that replaced the old White House location.
The discussion centered on the department’s two offerings: The Cardiac Rehab Program, and the Heart Disease and Diabetes Prevention Program that has served close to four hundred patients since its inception in 2008. An impetus for the latter’s launch was the number of patients who were hoping for a preventive approach, asking, “Why wait until people have a heart attack?”
The Cardiac Rehabilitation Program is staffed by a registered dietician, social worker, nurse, and exercise psychologist. The class starts with a discussion of weight loss strategies, good nutrition, and lifestyle changes, followed by an hour of exercise in the room stocked with treadmills and stationary bikes. This is to help people recovering from a heart attack regain their strength under professional supervision. Enrollees need not be a patient at Emerson, and the class has a waiting list of about eighty people.
The Heart Disease and Diabetes Prevention Program is geared toward people who have risk factors that comprise a condition called “metabolic syndrome.” These include: a large waistline, elevated triglycerides; Low HDL cholesterol; high blood pressure, and elevated blood sugar. If a person has any three of these factors, they have metabolic syndrome. According to Dow, these factors double the risk of a heart attack up to thirty years before being diagnosed with diabetes, but can be reversed by diet and exercise. The participants, who are about 70% female, average a weight loss of eleven pounds, a waistline reduction of 1.7 inches, and 1.5% less body fat. Dow said the ideal group size for successful outcomes is 8-10 people. The next twelve-week session starts in late March, and currently has no waiting list. Enrollees must be referred by their primary care provider.
To sign up for the programs, go to the cardiac rehabilitation website, or call 978-287-3732.
James Conboy writes about a variety of topics for the Acton Exchange.
