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DALLAS -- Matt Cooper, a 48-year-old Mesquite resident, spends his mornings running miles before heading to work. Matt isn't training for a marathon--he's recovering from a heart attack.
Matt is enrolled in a cardiac maintenance program at Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake, a phase of the hospital's cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation program. After suffering a heart attack during a business trip last April, Matt had to undergo emergency surgery in California to have a stent inserted into his heart.
For Matt, it was a wake-up call to start eating better and exercising in order to continue living his life. After returning to Texas to recover, Matt searched for a rehabilitation program that would help heal his heart and improve his health.
"I went to Doctors Hospital because they take care of you as long as you want," Matt said. "If I want to live a long time, this is where I want to be."
Doctors Hospital offers a three-phase rehabilitation program for patients who have suffered stable angina, myocardial infarction, bypass surgery, valve replacements, transplants and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) stent placements, like Matt.
Phase one includes inpatient counseling to diagnose and treat cardiac and pulmonary issues. Phase two assists patients in completing a 12-week monitored recovery program. Phase three is a long-term maintenance program that allows patients to continue receiving health education, counseling on nutrition, exercise, medication and emotional support from the hospital staff.
"We spend a lot of time building a rapport and establishing trust with the patient," said Dennis Mink, supervisor, Doctors Hospital's cardio-pulmonary department. "We want to have a good relationship with a patient so that instead of creating increased anxiety, every patient is relieved to be moving through the program and on to better health."
Dennis said the program emphasizes education to ensure that patients build habits that will help them stay healthy. "If the necessary lifestyle changes are not made, we will see these patients again when they are admitted to the hospital. We want to avoid that."
Matt completed the second phase of the rehabilitation program and lost around 30 pounds. He is continuing with the maintenance program and visits Doctors Hospital three times a week to exercise and receive counseling from Dennis and other staff. To date, he has lost almost 60 pounds and brought his blood pressure down to normal levels.
The Doctors Hospital program is certified by The American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation and known for friendliness. Matt said the staff members and patients in the program are almost like "The Breakfast Club" because everyone is so friendly.
He said the environment is supportive and reassuring, because patients are being supervised by a knowledgeable staff--a benefit that would not be available at a normal gym or at home. "They all watch us like hawks," he said. "They make sure we're on track."
Matt said he has also developed lots of heart-healthy recipes with the staff's guidance and will be doing everything he can to avoid future heart problems. "I'm definitely going to continue at Doctors Hospital for as long as I can," he said. "I'm sticking around."
About Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake
For half a century, Doctors Hospital at White Rock Lake has devoted itself to the health and well-being of East Dallas. With our continued commitment to the community we serve, Doctors Hospital is upgrading its full suite of services with hotel-inspired surgical suites, a new women's imaging center and a comprehensive heart center. With 218 beds, this full-service hospital has specialties ranging from orthopedics and bariatric surgery to obstetrics and gynecology. To find a physician, please call the physician referral line at 1-800-887-2525.
Over the years, Doctors Hospital has achieved many accreditations and awards. For example, Doctors Hospital was one of the first hospitals in the Dallas metro area to receive accreditation by the American Society of Chest Pain Centers for outstanding work in the emergency department. Other accreditations include the American Heart Association's Get With The GuidelinesSM Gold Performance Achievement Awards for Coronary Artery Disease and Heart Failure, and Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Come see community health care in a whole new light – right here on White Rock Lake.