The Jim & Amy Shimberg Center for Prevention & Rehabilitation

Cardiac Rehabilitation was developed in the 1960s as a treatment for patients who had sustained a myocardial infarction.  Today, cardiac rehabilitation programs serve patients with a variety of cardiovascular problems including arrhythmias and valve replacements.  The Shimberg Center for Prevention & Rehabilitation provides a multidisciplinary Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Program and Diabetes Exercise Program. 

The Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Program includes ECG monitored exercise training, group therapy and education.  The educational components include:  Identification of risk factors; Dietary/Nutrition; Weight management; Stress management; Home exercise; Physical Activity Counseling; Smoking Cessation; Medication information and Lifestyle changes. The program is under the direction of a Cardiologist and and Endocrinologist wtih a staff consisting of Registered Nurses, Physical Therapists, Exercise Physiologists, Clinical Nutritionists, and Certified Diabetes Educators.

Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation is a medically prescribed service within the structure of the Division of Cardiovascular Services.  It is offered to individuals with cardiac disorders to enable them to resume active and productive lives within the limitations imposed by their disease process for as long as possible.  Medically supervised exercise conditioning is the focal point of this service.  Other essential elements include assessment of coronary heart disease patients for risk of future cardiovascular events and premature mortality, patient education, vocational guidance, and risk factor modification.

The Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Pepin Heart began in 1990.  The new Shimberg Center for Prevention & Rehabilitation is scheduled to open in Fall 2007 and will offer expanded hours and services that will help heart patients return to an active, independent way of life.