Meriter Wellness Center
Cardiac Rehabilitation 

For people who have had a heart attack, bypass or valve surgery, angioplasty or stent, our cardiac rehabilitation program provides emotional support, education and heart healthy exercise to help rebuild strength and self-confidence.

Phase I - Inpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation

The Phase I team includes nurses, exercise physiologists and dietitians who have expertise in cardiovascular disease prevention, treatment and recovery. They provide ECG-monitored exercise and individualized education to patients and family members related to heart and vascular disease and its risk factors.

Education includes how to manage high blood pressure and high cholesterol, quit smoking and better manage stress. Phase I services include helping patients enroll in outpatient programs near their home as well as making follow-up phone calls to patients and their caregivers at home in the first few weeks following open heart surgery.

Phase II - Heart Tracks, Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation

Once patients leave the hospital and go home, Meriter's Heart Tracks program can help you:

• Be able to better perform tasks of daily living, such as household chores
• Learn more about your symptoms and medications
• Do more of the things you enjoy
• Increase strength and endurance
• Improve well-being and self-confidence

Our Heart Tracks team provides:

• ECG-monitored exercise
• One-to-one nutrition counseling
• One-to-one stress counseling
• Education designed to help patients learn how to reduce their risk for having another cardiac event.

Our educational classes include:

• Healthy Nutrition and Dining Out
• Exercise Plan
• Stress Management
• Learning to Relax
• Dealing with Depression and Anxiety
• Cholesterol
• Understanding Heart Disease
• Risk Factor Reduction

Learn more about Heart Tracks by calling (608) 417-6102.

2/13/2009