Launched last year at Florida PACE Centers Miami and expanded to Westchester in January, the Healthy Hearts Program is making a lasting impact on participants’ well-being. This interdisciplinary program offers 36 therapy sessions and 18 educational group sessions on lifestyle modifications that focus on cardiac health.
Participants, selected by the Florida PACE Centers interdisciplinary health care team based on their cardiac history, benefit from the comprehensive approach led by a diverse team of healthcare professionals.
The results speak for themselves: before starting the program, participants rated their overall wellness at an average of 4.25 on a scale of 0-10. At the end of the program four months later, that number more than doubled to 8.75. Participants reported feeling stronger, more energized, and less stressed, with five out of eight noting improved endurance and mobility.
Physical health was not the only thing that improved. At the end of the Healthy Hearts Program, participants’ mean score for the Mini Mental State Exam improved from 21.5 (mild cognitive impairment) to 25.4 (normal cognition). Participants “average health change” and “average general health” scores on the exam also improved from 65.6 to 87.5 and from 75 to 81.3 respectively.
The first Miami cohort, consisting of eight participants, just graduated from the Healthy Hearts Program at the end of March with a 100% completion rate! They have gained strength, improved their cognitive function, increased walking distances, and learned how to take better care of their hearts. Thank you to our incredible team of social workers, therapists, and coordinators who made this program a success.
As the program continues to evolve, Healthy Hearts is proving to be an effective approach in improving cardiac health and participants overall well-being. To learn more and support the Healthy Hearts program please donate to the Miami Jewish Health’s THRIVE campaign.