|
April
24, 2007
Media
Release
Headwaters
Health Care Centre
Improving
Quality of Life for Our Heart Failure Patients
Orangeville
– Headwaters Health Care Centre has launched a new Heart Function
Clinic, a vital outpatient service for heart failure patients. The clinic
is open two days a week on Wednesday and Friday.
Heart
failure is an abnormality of heart function that causes insufficient blood
to be pumped to the body’s organs and tissues. It is one of the most
common reason for hospital admission and readmission for adults over 65
years of age.
“Heart
failure can be a devastating diagnosis, but with proper care we hope to
get people back to their optimum health and keep them out of the hospital.
The Heart Function Clinic will allow us to bring all the best treatments
to our patients using a multidisciplinary team approach”, said Dr Kiri
Arunasalam, Medical Director, Heart Function Clinic.
There
is increasing recognition of the critical role of patient-centred care in
the management of congestive heart failure. Patient-centred care actively
engages a patient and his or her family in the daily management of their
heart condition. Through the Clinic, patients will have their treatment
plan monitored by a multidisciplinary team and receive education in such
areas as medication, exercise, smoking cessation and diet.
Other
communities with a Heart Function Clinic have experienced a reduction in
the number of Emergency Department visits and readmissions to the
hospital.
“The
clinic will help our patients manage their disease so they can get on with
the things that are important in their lives,” said
Bob Baynham
, President and CEO, Headwaters Health Care Centre. “It is one component
in a series of new initiatives aimed at enhancing the care we provide to
our heart patients.”
In
October 2006, Headwaters signed an agreement with Southlake Regional
Health Centre’s Cardiac Care Program to provide around-the-clock access
to a comprehensive range of heart procedures. In January 2007, Headwaters
introduced new cardiac diagnostic testing including full service holter
monitoring and loop recorders that measures a patient’s heartbeat over a
period of time. Thanks to the generosity of our community, the hospital
purchased a cardiovascular ultrasound machine to provide images of the
workings of a heart.
In
order to access the Heart Function Clinic, patients must be referred by
their physician.
- 30 -
|
