One of the best parts of working as a Pritikin account manager has been supporting the many intensive cardiac rehab (ICR) locations across my state. As I tour Texas visiting my sites, I always appreciate the opportunity to witness the amazing work of each cardiac rehab team bringing the Pritikin program to life and getting to meet the patients in attendance. After a recent trip to the Covenant LifeStyle Centre in Lubbock, Texas, I recognized this unique facility and its dedicated team deserve special recognition.
The Facility
Sometimes, finding the right space to offer our program can be a challenge. This location’s creative solution surprised me upon my first visit; their cardiac rehab facility is located on top of a parking garage! The high vantagepoint offers welcoming views and an amazing layout. The gym includes various equipment options for cardiac patients and a great education room for attending each of the Pritikin education classes.
Once patients have graduated from the cardiac rehab program, there are many options available to encourage long-term exercise. They have access to both an indoor and outdoor track, indoor swimming pool, and aerobic equipment.
The Team
While a beautiful facility is always appreciated, what makes a great cardiac rehab program is its team. Managed by Laura Lowe, Covenant LifeStyle Centre’s cardiac rehab team is no exception. Together, this group does a phenomenal job caring for – and motivating - the cardiac patients they serve. How do I know? Because I’ve seen them all in action. I have spent time with different team members as they monitor patients, assist patients in therapy, and lead education classes. Each has strong intuition, often understanding and anticipating their patient’s needs in advance. During a recent visit, I observed Laura leading an engaging education class; she did a wonderful job offering comprehensive explanations to patient questions as well as sharing practical ways to implement the day’s lessons into the patient’s day-to-day activities.
Left to right: Kayli Bass, Mitzi Ravenscraft, Dawn Hudgens, Carla McGee and Laura Lowe (not pictured Lanette Windham)
I know patients that work with this team will be well-served and experience a high quality of care. Great job Covenant LifeStyle Center!
Patient Experience
Every program is unique, and each team member plays a special role in making a memorable patient experience. At Covenant, it all starts with Dawn Hudgens who makes sure that even before their first session, patients are made to feel welcome and special. One of her roles is to recruit patients. She does this by encouraging patients referred to the program to attend an initial cardiac rehab seminar. As a result of her efforts, most of the patients who get referred to cardiac rehab attend the seminar and afterward, sign up to attend the full ICR program.
Before transitioning to the Pritikin Intensive Cardiac Rehab Program, Covenant LifeStyle Centre offered traditional cardiac rehab. When I asked if they noticed any changes since transitioning to Pritikin, they shared a few observations. They noted that patients have been losing body fat and inches off their waist circumference more than when doing traditional cardiac rehab, and that depression screening scores are improving with ICR and the Healthy Mindset education. The team also pointed out that more patients are completing the prescribed sessions. They attributed that prolonged attendance to more engaging education classes, and the fact that there is always something new to learn as education sessions rotate. Greater attendance has also been recognized since the implementation of Pritikin cooking classes on Fridays.
While there, I made a point to ask patients what they thought of the program. I found their feedback on the benefits of the program interesting. It wasn’t surprising that they had the most to share about one of our most popular workshops – cooking school. One patient said when he attends cooking school classes, he gets good recipe ideas. As the primary cook at home, he’s able to share healthier meals with his family. Another patient appreciated that they could sample the foods made during the cooking class. Having all the recipes laid out in our Patient Guidebook makes recreating class favorites at home quite easy.
Covenant LifeStyle Centre is not only a great intensive cardiac rehab program, but they also have the outcomes to match. They consistently have a high percentage of patients complete their rehab program and very few drop out. Patients rarely miss education class opportunities, which speaks to the quality of the staff and the information they provide. Overall, Covenant LifeStyle Centre serves as a model ICR program.
Keep up the great work!
