Cardiac Rehabilitation Services

At both Morristown Memorial and Overlook Hospitals, superior services provide a speedier recovery and a healthier future. Cardiac rehabilitation is designed by health care professionals to help you live a heart-healthy lifestyle and can prevent the premature death of hundreds of thousands of people with heart disease every year. Exceptional rehabilitation services for hospitalized patients and those in heart recovery are part of Atlantic Health’s complete program of cardiac care.

Rehabilitation actually begins when you are admitted to the hospital. You’ll start education and progressive therapeutic exercise programs immediately. If you have myocardial infarction, angina, or congestive heart failure, you’ll also visit with a cardiac rehabilitation specialist before your surgery.

After surgery or any invasive cardiac procedure, Phase I of your rehabilitation begins. Our cardiac rehabilitation staff will gently guide you through a gradual strength-building routine, while also educating you and your family about your recovery process.  A multi-disciplinary team will teach you about risk factor modification, prescriptions, and healthy diets.  You’ll leave the hospital feeling confident and independent.

Phase II of rehabilitation places patients who have had a heart attack, coronary bypass surgery, transplant, angioplasty, intracoronary stent placement, or ongoing stable angina in a supervised exercise program at the hospital three times each week for 12 weeks. The Cardiac Health Center of Morristown Memorial and the Cardiac Rehabilitation Program of Overlook Hospital offer complete, varied, and comprehensive programs designed to help you feel better and prevent additional heart problems.

The cardiac health center and cardiac rehabilitation program are furnished with new exercise machines and monitoring equipment, such as portable heart monitors, to evaluate your progress. Spacious men’s and ladies’ locker rooms are available. Our rehabilitation programs are staffed by critical care registered nurses, exercise physiologists, cardiovascular technologists, and clinical dieticians who offer a multidisciplinary approach to your recovery.

Phase III and Phase IV rehabilitation focus on establishing comprehensive heart health maintenance programs, which incorporate independent exercise and other healthy habits.  You can continue to go to one of Atlantic Health’s hospitals for regular check-ups or use one of the local health facilities associated with Atlantic Health.  If you manage your Phase IV rehabilitation progress on your own, you may return to the hospital program every three months for monitoring.

In addition to supervised exercise, our cardiac rehabilitation programs offer educational lectures, stress management lectures, and nutritional assessments and counseling. Cooking classes are held in Morristown Memorial Cardiac Health Center's fully equipped kitchen and at Overlook Hospital. You are encouraged to attend all of these programs with your family and friends.