PATIENT CARE
Follow your heart to HRH
WHETHER
it’s moving your
feet for a little exercise or moving a
wall for a little renovation, it’s obvi-
ous that a little movement goes a long
way—especially for the cardiopul-
monary rehabilitation department at
Halifax Regional Hospital (HRH).
During the past six months,
an average of 65 patients used the
cardiopulmonary rehabilitation
exercise facilities at HRH each day.
With that amount of patient use
and the addition of a new cardi-
ologist, an overcrowding problem
seemed imminent until renovation
considerations found that removing
one little wall would make quite a
diference.
“By moving one wall, we are
now operating with an additional
300 square feet of usable space for
the patients,” says Dorothy Sat-
terfeld, manager of the cardiopul-
monary rehabilitation department
at HRH. “Tat may not sound
like much of a change, but for our
patients and staf it means moving
between exercise machines more
easily and a safer environment for
staf as they monitor patients.”
Getting with the program
HRH ofers phases II, III and IV
cardiopulmonary rehabilitation.
Many patients begin in phase II, Sat-
terfeld says. Phase II is for patients
who are recovering from an event,
such as a heart attack or coronary
bypass surgery, or for someone who
has been diagnosed with a chronic
lung disease.
Te phase III and phase IV
programs have patients who have
completed the phase II program
and wish to continue their exercise
program at HRH.
“Te phase III program may also
be utilized by anyone with a physi-
cian’s referral who may not qualify
for the phase II program or for
anyone who does not have heart or
lung disease but wants to learn how
to prevent these diseases by utilizing
exercise,” Satterfeld says.
A physician’s referral is required
for patients to get into the program,
and many times a low-level stress
test is required to ensure that it’s safe
for the patient to exercise. Other
tests may be required, depending
on the patient’s medical history and
reason for referral.
For more information about the
cardiopulmonary rehabilitation pro-
gram at HRH, call
434-517-3846
or
go to www.hrhs.org and click
on “Health Services.”
R E N O V A T I O N S
Small change, big results
—Continued from page 1
Get moving.
Randy Holmes, a patient in Halifax Regional Hospital’s
cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program, sits in the new exercise
space available to patients after the removal of a small wall. The minor
renovation added approximately 300 square feet of usable space.
he will help us move forward with
many of the goals we have set for
the center,” says Sherri Bee, RN,
MSN, clinical director for Cardio-
vascular Services and Quality.
“Our continuous recruitment of
talented physicians enables us to
develop and expand heart care for
residents of southern Virginia,
and we recognize the importance
of providing that care here at
home, in their community.”
In addition to the 10 healthcare
professionals they work with in the
center, the three cardiologists are
assisted at Halifax Heart Center by
Robin Harmer, MSN, FNP, and
Jennifer Johnson, PA-C.
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