Cardiovascular Rehabilitation Program

The North Simcoe Regional Cardiovascular Rehabilitation program is a supervised exercise program designed to improve the cardiovascular health of people who have experienced any of the following events within the past 12 months:

• Angina
• Heart attack or acute coronary syndrome
• Angioplasty (balloon or stent)
• Bypass surgery
• Pacemaker or ICD
• Heart failure
• ​Heart transplantation
• Cardiomyopathy
• Peripheral vascular disease
• Non-debilitating stroke or TIA
• Valve surgery

You may also be eligible if you have multiple risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as:

• Diabetes
• Smoking
• Obesity
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Inactive lifestyle

We offer a six-month program that includes individualized exercise plans for each patient.  Your team members include kinesiologists and administrative support with consultation from cardiologists and cardiac diagnostics technicians.   This program assists participants in acquiring the skills needed to achieve and maintain a heart-healthy lifestyle in order to get back to everyday life following a cardiovascular event.

What are the benefits of participating?

• Improve your heart and muscles
• Lower your blood pressure
• Lose body fat
• Raise your HDL (“good”) cholesterol
• Lower your LDL (“bad”) cholesterol
• Lower your triglycerides
• Improve the control of your blood sugar
• Improve the health of your arteries, reducing atherosclerosis risk
• ​Reduce the risk of heart rhythm disturbance
• Raise your angina threshold
• Increase the strength, endurance and flexibility of your muscles
• Improve mood and reduce feelings of depression, anxiety and stress
• Improve brain function and protect memory and thinking skills
• Improve sleep quality
• Feel more energetic

Activity #1: Cardiovascular Rehab Orientation – Online Video

The rehab team will send you a link to view a video that describes Cardiovascular Rehab.  This session includes topics such as:

• Who is Cardiovascular Rehab for?
• Review of hospital discharge instructions and what to do if you have another health concern
• Risk factors that we can help you change
• Our program structure

Activity #2: Intake Assessment – In-Person, Telephone or Video Conference Appointment

• You will meet with an exercise therapist to review your health history, medications, risk factors and goals
• Appointments are approximately 45 minutes in length
• Please review any materials the Rehab team has sent you to prepare for this appointment
• You will not be exercising during this appointment
• During in-person appointments, you will get a tour of the exercise facility

Activity #3: Stress Test Appointment

A stress test, sometimes called a treadmill test or exercise test, helps a doctor find out how well your heart works during exercise. You are connected to a monitor while you walk on a treadmill. Your heart rate, rhythm and blood pressure are monitored by the cardio technologist. Every three minutes the speed and incline increases until your maximum effort is reached. The appointment takes approximately 30 minutes and includes test preparation (electrode placement and resting measurements). Actual time walking on the treadmill can vary based on your fitness level.

We recommend that all participants complete a treadmill-based stress test*. This can be organized at RVH’s Cardio-Respiratory Treatment Clinic, or if you have recently completed one at your specialist’s office, we can obtain this report.

*Some participants may be unable to complete a treadmill stress test and will complete a walking-based test instead.

Drop-off, Parking and Registration Information

Detailed instructions will be provided by email or telephone in advance of the appointment.

​Remember

• Take all of your medications as usual
• No caffeine (coffee, tea, energy drinks or other forms such as chocolate) 4 hours prior to your stress test
• Have a very light meal before your test (light breakfast or lunch)
• Your Ontario Health Card (OHIP)
• To wear or bring comfortably fitted clothing (you may work up a sweat)
• A good pair of exercise or walking shoes (no steel toe boots)
• Before you arrive, please leave any valuables – like jewelry – at home

Our Kinesiologists create individualized exercise programs based on your unique situation.
Exercise classes are offered from Tuesday to Friday in community-based recreation centres in Barrie and Innisfil. See the ‘Directions’ tab for our current locations. The earliest class time is 8:30 a.m. and the latest class is at 5 p.m.

The weekly classes run for 3 months, and are 90 minutes long, including a brief education session, and time for both cardio (for example, walking, or stationary cycling) and strengthening exercise.

The Kinesiologists will follow up by phone after you finish the 12 weeks of classes. The final phone call will occur 6-months after you started the program.

Our home-based program is designed for participants who are unable to attend the exercise sessions due to work commitments, distance to the program, or those who already have a regular exercise routine and are confident to continue independently. It is expected that the participants are motivated to complete regular exercise independently and are willing to participate in regular telephone calls with a Kinesiologist.

Home-based participants are invited to attend an individual intake appointment and stress test.  You may choose to attend a one-time individual exercise session at one of our exercise facilities to ensure your safety while exercising independently at home.

In addition to the program at RVH, there are multiple programs across the region with different exercise times and home-based options. Please ask our team about these other program options.

There is a fee to participate in the RVH Cardiovascular Rehabilitation program. For further information about fees, payment options and extended healthcare coverage, please speak with staff in-person, or call 705-797-3157.

We will ensure that every person has the ability to participate in the program, regardless of financial situation.

Please watch our orientation video to learn more about the program.