Cardiac Rehabilitation
Rebuilding after a cardiac event
If you’ve had a heart event—or are at risk for one—Valley Baptist Medical Center’s Cardiac Rehabilitation and Wellness Program can help you recover, rebuild your strength, and restore confidence.
Our program offers a comprehensive, medically supervised approach designed to help patients recover after a heart attack, bypass surgery, angioplasty, stent placement, or other cardiac procedure. It also supports individuals who have coronary artery disease or are at risk for developing heart disease.
What is Cardiac Rehabilitation?
Cardiac rehabilitation is an outpatient program focused on improving your heart health through safe exercise, education, and support. Our goal is to help you return to your normal activities and reduce your risk of future heart problems.
Our multidisciplinary team—consisting of registered nurses, exercise physiologists, and rehabilitation specialists—works together to create a customized plan that helps you safely regain endurance, flexibility, and strength while learning practical ways to live a heart-healthy life.
Program Benefits
Cardiac rehabilitation provides education and guidance that helps you:
- Improve fitness, flexibility, and stamina
- Gain confidence and reduce stress
- Boost energy and quality of life
- Modify risk factors such as smoking, weight, and cholesterol
- Learn lifelong heart-healthy habits
- Safely return to work and daily activities
Personalized Program Components
Each patient’s cardiac rehab experience is tailored to their needs and may include:
- Medically supervised exercise sessions using treadmills, bikes, and strength equipment
- Heart-healthy education led by our cardiac rehab team
- Nutrition guidance and lifestyle coaching to support long-term wellness
- Stress management techniques and coping strategies
- Ongoing support from nurses, exercise physiologists, and rehabilitation professionals
Treatment Phases
Phase I – Hospital Recovery
Our inpatient cardiac team helps patients begin light mobility and self-care activities in preparation for continued recovery at home. Education is provided on medications, nutrition, exercise, and heart-healthy habits, often with the help of physical therapists and nurses.
Phase II – Outpatient Recovery
A few weeks after discharge, patients begin outpatient cardiac rehab, typically three sessions per week for eight to twelve weeks. Each class combines exercise, cardiac education, nutrition guidance, and stress management—all under medical supervision.
Registered nurses and exercise physiologists monitor your heart rate, rhythm, and overall progress during each session. You’ll also develop a personalized home exercise plan to maintain your fitness beyond the program.
Phase III – Maintenance
This phase emphasizes independence, continued education, and lifestyle reinforcement. Patients experience improved fitness and stamina as they build confidence and maintain heart-healthy routines.
Phase IV – Ongoing Education and Fitness
Participants transition into long-term wellness with ongoing exercise, education, and support designed to sustain healthy living and reduce future cardiac risk.
Getting Started
Your physician can refer you to our Cardiac Rehabilitation Program. Once enrolled, our cardiac rehab coordinator will contact you to guide you through your first steps toward recovery.