JOHN COFFELTEditor

Unity Medical Center unveiled its new state-of-the-art Cardiopulmonary Rehab Clinic Aug. 8, located at the Unity Medical Clinic on Interstate Drive, which will provide monitored rehabilitative care with the careful touch of professional health providers.

Unity CEO Martha Henley calls the clinic a great stride in service to the community.

“Bringing the service to the people in the community is something that has been a focus here with leadership,” Henley said. “Being able to work with two of the strongest cardiology programs in Tennessee… is great.”

Bappa Mukherji, Chairman of the Board of Unity Medical Center, said the clinic is part of Unity’s ongoing goal to bring additional services that the community needs.

“That’s going to continue to be our goal,” Mukherji said.

He said the hospital formed a historic relationship pulling together HCA TriStar, Ascension St. Thomas and Unity Medical Center to provide essential services.

Director of Cardiopulmonary Care Cameron Hill called the clinic a big step for Unity and a big step for Manchester to bring rehabilitation technology that was previously unavailable in Manchester.

“Coffee County is home to about 56,000 residents,” Hill said. “Tennessee Department of Health recognizes that heart disease is the number one cause of mortality in Coffee County… I would like to … commend Unity Medical Center for implementing two programs that directly combat these statistics not only for Coffee County but also the surrounding areas.”

“The equipment is one of a kind in this region,” Hill said. “It’s really special for it to be here in Manchester.”

Co- Medical Director St. Thomas Ascension Heart Group Cardiologist Dr. Wilburn George said cardio rehab care at this level was previously available only in larger surrounding cities.

When a person is diagnosed with heart disease, an operation puts stress on their physical shape. Cardiac rehab can gradually bring the patient back to health under controlled conditions.

“When these people are exercising, (the nurses) are taking EKGs and taking their blood pressure frequently,” George said.

“What they’re saying is, ‘hey, let’s rev it up, but they are standing there in case something didn’t work,” he said.

George noted studies show that cardiac patients 15 years later have recovered better than those who did not have rehab care.

“I had heart surgery 15 years ago and I had cardiac rehab,” George said. It’s a very, very good thing. Almost every patient will tell you I really did better.”

In addition to patients’ physical health, cardiac rehab provides a network for patient psychological support. Entering therapy a patient will have difficulty walking down the hallway. A few weeks later they will be improved and doing more. They look over and see a new patient who can barely walk down the hall.

“That gives people a context of healing,” George said. “(Otherwise) people don’t have a context of healing after heart surgery. It’s deep therapy psychologically to be with people and watch them get better.”

George said he was excited to transition from his previous Vanderbilt umbrella group to the HCA-Ascension joint venture. While other hospital networks are scaling back services for patients, this partnership is working to provide additional services.

Co- Medical Director Dr. Byron Haitas said cardiology rehab has progressed significantly during his lifetime. He said that President Dwight Eisenhower’s care in 1955 after having a heart attack on a golf course was six weeks long while bedridden in the hospital.

By 1962, post-heart attack restrictions on activity loosened to allow a patient two hours a day in an armchair.

Haitas said that now it is understood that getting out of bed and back into life matters.

The equipment at Unity’s cardiac rehab clinic is unique because it integrates with the software system to monitor the patients’ vital stats, allowing more time for the therapists to interact with the patients.

“You’re able to do more with less people — give more time to the patient and less time to the equipment,” exercise physiologist Billy Hopkins said.

The computers can set standards for interval training in ways that are best for the patients’ conditions.

Exercise Physiologist Brianna Fluker said that the clinic has a number of wheelchair accessible machines to serve patients with limited mobility.

“A lot of times you do struggle with the barrier of accessibility, but we helped combat that with the different types of equipment that we have,” she said.

“For about an hour and 15 minutes, we slowly integrate exercise into their day, keep them at a level where they work their hardest, not overstress and then we bring them down to a baseline so that they can go about their day,” Fluker said.

The clinic services include stress lab facilities, pulmonary function testing, pulmonary rehabilitation and phase one and phase two cardiac rehabilitation.

John has been with the Manchester Times since May 2011. John has won Tennessee Press Association awards for Best News Photo and placed in numerous other categories. John is a 1994 graduate of Tullahoma High School, a graduate of Motlow State Community College and earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Middle Tennessee State University. He lives in Tullahoma, enjoys painting, dancing and exploring the outdoors.