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ABINGDON, Va. (WJHL) – Ballad Health officials gathered to celebrate the expansion of a successful cardiac rehab program to Southwest Virginia on Tuesday.
Johnston Memorial Hospital is now home to a new Pritikin intensive cardiac rehab center, a Medicare-eligible program that promises to rework the lives of patients with major cardiac concerns. Similar centers already operate in Kingsport and Bristol.
Ballad officials said Pritikin takes a wider look at heart health and gives patients the skills needed to lead a healthier life.
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“This is not just an exercise program, this isn’t just a cooking class,” Dr. Chad Couch, president of Ballad’s northern region, said. “This is a way for people to gain information that is life-changing for them.”
Pritikin includes 72 sessions that span exercise sessions, healthy cooking programs and long-term steps for change. Ballad was also proud to announce that its centers have some of the highest graduation rates in the country.
“As these patients learn how to change their lifestyle, it impacts their family, it impacts those around them,” Couch said. “So by these individual patients going through these programs, it actually has a downstream effect where it improves the health of their families and their community.”
