Appling Healthcare recently launched a new Respiratory Care & Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program, conveniently located within the main hospital building in Baxley. Specifically designed to help patients with chronic lung disease, pulmonary rehabilitation offers breathing training, exercise training, education and counseling.
The Pulmonary Rehab program is managed by Respiratory Therapist Lessie Caroline Lady
Pulmonary rehabilitation can help patients to: decrease their shortness of breath; improve their pulmonary functions; increase their exercise capacity; enhance their quality of life; and reduce healthcare costs.
The custom-designed program includes a multi-faceted approach to combat the progression of lung disease. Typically, patients will be scheduled for two appointments a week for two to three hours per session for 12 weeks. The treatment plan will be evaluated monthly and modified based on the patient’s response to the therapies.
The Pulmonary Rehab program is managed by Respiratory Therapist Lessie Caroline Lady, who said she’s excited to work with the Appling County community to help patients with pulmonary related diseases have a better quality of life.
Chronic lung disease is the third leading cause of death in the United States, and residents of rural communities like Appling County are especially impacted. According to Georgia Department of Public Health data, COPD is the third leading cause of death in Appling County.
The new program at Appling Healthcare is one of only about 1,000 respiratory care and pulmonary rehabilitation centers in the country. It fills a critical need for chronic lung disease patients who often don’t know that pulmonary rehabilitation can help them breathe better and live longer, active lives.
COVID-19 patients frequently continue to have shortness of breath and fatigue months after their initial diagnosis, a syndrome described as “long COVID”. Pulmonary rehabilitation has been proven to accelerate the recovery of exercise capacity and improvement of pulmonary functions following COVID-19 infections in many patients.
Pulmonary rehabilitation is covered by Medicare and most insurance plans. A physician referral is required. For more information, call (912)367-9841, ext. 1283. The fax number is (912)705-4922.
