Designed for a Fast Recovery and Smooth Return to a Healthy Lifestyle
Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation
Lancaster General Health Campus, 3rd floor
2100 Harrisburg Pike
Lancaster, PA
(717) 544-3126
The program is an extension of the Lancaster General Heart Center and is certified by The American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. Our facility offers an outpatient setting that provides quiet areas that are spacious and comfortable.
Do you need Cardiac Rehabilitation?
You may want to consider cardiac rehabilitation if you have experienced or been evaluated for any of the following:
“Secondary prevention is an essential part of the contemporary care of the patient with cardiovascular disease.” – The American Heart Association on Cardiac Rehab
We can help you
The first step is meeting with one of our registered nurses. We encourage you to bring a support person along. We do not expect you to exercise on your first visit. Instead, we will focus on matters such as:
- Any lifestyle changes since the cardiac event
- Identifying your risk factors
- Insurance coverage
- Scheduling your first exercise session
We will also perform a physical assessment of you during this interview and give you a tour of our facility.
From there, you will begin a scheduled routine of one-hour exercise visits, two days a week. The first four visits are coupled with educational classes on:
- Coronary Disease–discussing open heart surgery, valve surgery, angioplasty, stents, rotoblation, emergency guidelines and emotional aspects of heart disease
- Risk Factors–focusing on coronary artery disease and ways to reduce your risk
- Healthy Eating–emphasizing low-fat, low-cholesterol and no added salt diets
- Exercise–understanding aerobic exercise, its importance, benefits and components
Other classes offered are:
- Healthy eating classes taught by a registered dietitian
- Stress awareness workshop
- Spouse/significant other support classes
After four visits, you will attend three sessions a week to improve your physical condition. You may find that your involvement in our rehab program will also initiate a lifestyle change to regular exercise. Regular exercise helps:
- Strengthen the heart, lungs and cardiovascular system
- Improve endurance and energy levels
- Control high blood pressure and levels of cholesterol and triglycerides
- Maintain normal blood sugar levels in diabetics
- Manage weight
- Reduce anxiety, depression and stress
- Increase self-esteem, motivation, and general well-being
- Improve mental awareness and cognition
- Make normal daily living activities easier to perform
- Improve quality of life
We offer multiple exercise sessions to meet your schedule:
| Tuesday & Thursday |
Monday, Wednesday, Friday |
| 8 a.m. |
8 a.m. |
| 9 a.m. |
9:30 a.m. |
| 10 a.m. |
11 a.m. |
| 11 a.m. |
12:30 p.m. |
| 1:30 p.m. |
2:30 p.m. |
| 3:30 p.m. |
4 p.m. |
During each exercise session, you will be monitored with a three-lead telemetry unit. This system records your EKG rhythm and heart rate and allows the nurses and exercise physiologists to watch for any abnormalities. To promote your comfort and safety, we set up and explain how to properly use the machines.
The cardiac rehabilitation facility offers state-of-the-art equipment, including treadmills, seated steppers, ellipticals, stationary bikes, rowers, free weights, machine weights and more. The variety allows the exercise physiologist to develop an exercise plan specifically for you. This personalized approach helps to promote a deeper desire to continue exercising once you have completed the program.
You will also have a private consultation with an exercise physiologist to help you develop a home exercise program. During this meeting, we encourage you to share where and how you would like to continue exercising. From there, the exercise physiologist can suggest the best frequency, duration and intensity for you based on your physical condition and the exercise method. The exercise physiologist would also be happy to help you choose an appropriate exercise facility or direct you to a store to buy your own equipment.
What do our patients say about our program?
“I like the program. When you start here you are weak, but it gives you the right amount of increase to build up your strength. Everyone knows what they are doing.”– S.S. bypass and valve replacement patient
“The staff is great. They are so pleasant and professional.” – W.R., stent patient
“The program is excellent. I have noticed how all the staff is so approving, no one gets put down. It is exactly what the patients need after their event.” – M.L. wife of cardiac rehab patient
“My husband thinks the program is excellent. He will be encouraging others to come.”
– C.L. wife of cardiac rehab patient
“I feel stronger and more energized since coming here. It’s great to have the staff here to encourage and push me, because I would never have come this far on my own. I tell everyone I talk to that LGH is the best, from beginning to end” – K.S. stent patient
As a healthcare leader in the community, we not only care about your heart, we care about you!
Extras
Our facility also offers a comfortable waiting area with magazines, books, newspapers, puzzles, coffee and fruit for your family and friends. The waiting area is in the exercise room, which allows your family or friends to feel more comfortable because they can see you are in good hands.
If you are interested in learning more, we also have many books and movies available:
- Healthy eating recipe books
- Fitness
- Anger
- Heart illness and intimacy
- Stress
- High blood pressure
- Risk factors of heart disease
- And much more!
As our patient, you are also welcome to check out uplifting books and movies from The Wellspring, which is located on the second floor of the Health Campus in the Wellness Center.
One of the best things cardiac rehabilitation provides is emotional support, to help you feel better about yourself and to remain positive about your future and the quality of your life.