At Medical Fitness Center : Cardiac Rehabilitation Program Is Open
A six-month cardiac rehabilitation program designed to assist persons who have returned to work to develop and maintain an exercise/risk factor modification program is open to the public at the Medical Fitness Center at the Los Angeles Athletic Club at 431 West 7th St. in downtown Los Angeles.
To enter the cardiac rehabilitation program, an individual may be self-referred or referred by a physician. Medical records will be requested in either case. The applicant will undergo a dietary, body composition and flexibility evaluation, which may require treadmill testing if one has not been done in recent months. Evaluation results and goals are discussed with the center’s medical director, Dr. Michael J. Wong, immediate past president of the American Heart Assn. in Los Angeles, as well as a psychologist and nutritionist.
Program components include therapeutic exercise sessions three mornings per week supervised by a clinical nurse and a physical therapist, who monitor heart rhythm and measure blood pressure and heart rate.
Risk Factor Reduction
An exercise program is individually designed to make use of the gym facilities, including pool, life cycle and rowing ergometer, pulley weights and a walk/jog track. An educational component is aimed at risk factor reduction and life style modification related to nutrition, stress management and exercise with individual instruction and counseling.
The individual will undergo reevaluation and revision of the prescribed program after three months and periodically after six months, if continued.
Cost of the program per month is $200, plus $100 for the use of facilities for non-members of the athletic club. A charge for a physical examination may be necessary if an examination has not been obtained recently.
The Medical Fitness Center is a joint venture between the athletic club and California Medical Center.
For further information about the program, call (213) 625-2211, or visit the center at 431 West 7th St., downtown Los Angeles.