A new outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program at Mercy Hospital Tishomingo helps patients ‘breathe easier’ now that they can access pulmonary rehabilitation services closer to home.
“Previously, our patients had to travel out of the area to receive pulmonary rehab treatment,” said Lori McMillan, administrator at Mercy Hospital Tishomingo. “This new program will help patients spend less time on the road so they can devote more time to taking care of their health.”
Mercy Pulmonary Rehabilitation – Tishomingo opened last fall to treat patients with a variety of lung and respiratory ailments. The team is equipped to evaluate and rehabilitate individuals with the following conditions or symptoms:
- Asthma
- Assessment of respiratory impairment
- Bronchiectasis
- Chronic bronchitis
- Chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD)
- Cystic fibrosis
- Evaluation of exposure to dust or chemicals
- Evaluation of persistent cough, wheezing or shortness of breath
- Interstitial lung disease
- Lung cancer
- Lung transplant rehabilitation
- Lung volume reduction surgery
- Monitoring disease course and response to therapy
- Neuromuscular hypertension
- Post COVID-19 symptoms
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Risk evaluation for patients prior to thoracic or upper abdominal surgery
- Sarcoidosis
In addition to these conditions, the program also offers pulmonary function testing, a noninvasive breathing examination that measures how well the lungs are working. It can help estimate how much air is in the lungs, how well oxygen is absorbed from the lungs into the blood and more. This type of testing is an essential tool to help diagnose conditions like COPD.
The pulmonary services team also coaches patients on medication effectiveness, stress management, smoking cessation, breathing techniques and individualized exercise plans.
“Our goal is to help patients reduce the amount of time spent dealing with an injury or illness related to pulmonary function,” said Rocky Henson, the program’s respiratory care coordinator. “We help reduce symptoms through education and rehab and love being a part of our patients’ health journey.”
Patients concerned about chronic or new respiratory conditions should visit with their primary care physician, who can help evaluate and refer them to Mercy Pulmonary Rehabilitation – Tishomingo.
The suite is located at Mercy Hospital Tishomingo. For more information, visit mercy.net/TishPulmonaryRehab. To schedule an appointment, call Keshia McMahon at 580-371-2327, ext. 1226.
