Hours: Monday – Friday, 6 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Phone: 757-984-7126
The CARES department, staffed with licensed or certified registered nurses, exercise physiologists, exercise specialists and respiratory therapists, treats outpatients recovering from cardiac or pulmonary conditions by offering the following two phases:
- Phase II - addressing a highly monitored sub-acute time frame after diagnoses.
- Phase III - providing ongoing care in a maintenance application.
CARES is designed to achieve an optimal level of functioning, self-care, self-responsibility, independence and quality of life. Achieving the patient's optimal level of function means restoring, improving, or maintaining the patient's assessed level of functioning. CARES aims to minimize symptoms, exacerbation of chronic illnesses, impairments and disabilities. Emphasis is placed on maximizing functional independence through application of therapeutic procedures and techniques including:
- Posture
- Locomotion
- Strength
- Endurance
- Balance
- Coordination
- Bronchial hygiene
- Energy conservation
The CARES department is indirectly involved in diagnostics and testing in the collaborative care with the patient’s physician. The therapist may perform pulmonary function tests as well as monitor vitals and cardiac rhythm strips.