Pulmonary disease is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Preventive and rehabilitative care for those with the disease reduces the need for hospitalization, as well as readmission, enhances the quality of life and may improve survival.
Some people with pulmonary disease are able to maintain their usual level of activities if appropriate health care measures are followed. Lifestyle changes such as proper nutrition, regular exercise and smoking cessation may help reduce the impact of the disease, which may lead to a greater sense of physiological and psychological well-being.
Unique Team Approach to Individualized Care
Pulmonary rehabilitation at Wheeling Hospital provides supervised exercise training, respiratory care instruction and nutritional counseling, as well as educational classes and psychosocial support. A smoking cessation program also is available.
Providing individualized care are members of a multidisciplinary team that, depending on the specific patient, may include nurses, exercise physiologists, respiratory therapists, physical therapists and dieticians, as well as other professionals. The program is under the direction of a physician and complies with the standards set forth by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
Enrollment
Those eligible for the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program are individuals diagnosed with COPD, including emphysema, asthma or chronic bronchitis, as well as pulmonary fibrosis and other respiratory ailments. Lung transplant patients also are accepted.
A physician referral is required to join the program. After receiving the referral, a rehab staff member will contact the individual to arrange an appointment.
Location and Times
Pulmonary rehab classes are offered Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8 am, 9:30 am, 11 am, and 2:30 pm, at Wheeling Hospital’s Howard Long Wellness Center.
Patients attend three classes a week. Classes are supervised by a respiratory therapist and exercise physiologist, with a physician on site. Length of stay in the program ranges from one to three months, depending on individual needs and specific situations.
Appointments
Location
Howard Long Wellness Center
800 Medical Park
Wheeling, WV 26003