Ensuring heart care services are available in Frankfort and Benzie County makes sense to longtime Benzonia resident John Riegler.
Nearly five years after his massive heart attack on Feb. 4, 2013, he still sees big value in continuing his exercises at Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital’s Cardiac Rehabilitation unit.
“I am in excellent health and I attribute that to rehab,” said the former long-time area businessman. “I choose this over belonging to a fitness club. We are monitored and are looked after very well and I am very pleased with how they treat everybody.”
Cardiologist Dino Recchia, M.D., FACC, said the surge in new technology and techniques in heart care are saving more lives and providing options for patients when there were none. But the procedures are only part of the healing process.
“A strong cardiac rehabilitation program is crucial for ensuring the patient gains the most benefit from their treatment,” he said. “Study after study has shown that participation in a cardiac rehabilitation program leads to better long-term outcomes for patients with all types of cardiovascular disease no matter if they were treated with stents, heart surgery, or medications.”
Benefits include an improved quality of life, reduced chance of a repeat cardiac event and measurable improvement in psychological well-being.
“Despite these proven benefits of cardiac rehab, many patients do not participate and are jeopardizing their chance for the best outcome,” he said. “It’s critical people understand how important cardiac rehab is and Paul Oliver offers an outstanding rehab team.”
Paul Oliver Hospital President Peter Marinoff said the hospital knows heart services are important for the region. Saving patients a drive over icy roads makes sense when the appropriate care can be delivered locally.
“We’re very pleased to be able to bring cardiac providers from Traverse City to see patients in our specialty clinic,” he said. “And one of our current focus areas is the renovation of our cardiac rehabilitation unit. We hope to open it in a new space by Memorial Day.”
The new suite, located on the ground floor of the hospital, will feature a view of Lake Michigan and advanced equipment that allows rehab specialists to better monitor and track patient data. Patients can also receive echocardiograms at the hospital and future plans also call for stress testing.
Cardiac Rehab Coordinator Lorrell Guerra, R.N., and nurse Sue Wieshaar, L.P.N., are excited about the new space in time for the summer season.
“Moving into a room with windows will be huge for many of our patients,” Guerra said. “As evidenced by patient satisfaction surveys, our patients are highly satisfied with this department. The one thing they ask for is windows. We are so pleased to be able to offer that to them.”
Weishaar said her favorite part of her job is helping people recover and get back to normal lives. “We receive letters of appreciation after our patients move on. It’s nice to know we’ve made a difference,” she said.
In addition to cardiac rehabilitation services, at least twice a month and sometimes more often, the hospital hosts providers from Traverse Heart and Vascular for patient appointments. Providers include Dr. Recchia, nurse practitioner Edward Kraska, N.P., and physician assistant Adam Leech, PA-C, DPM.
Learn more about Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital services here.