St. Peter’s Hospital Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program Certified by Industry Leader

The pulmonary rehabilitation program at St. Peter’s Hospital, a member of St. Peter’s Health Partners, has been certified by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR).

Pulmonary care treats patients with chronic and acute respiratory needs. The pulmonary rehabilitation program at St. Peter’s Hospital is designed to help people with lung-related illnesses – including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – recover faster and improve their quality of life. The program includes exercise, education, counseling, and support for patients and their families.

“We are very proud of the pulmonary rehabilitation team at St. Peter’s Hospital, and we congratulate them for achieving certification from the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation,” said Dorothy Urschel, MS, ACNP-C, MBA, NEA-BC, vice president of the Cardiac and Vascular service line at SPHP, and vice president of operations at Albany Memorial Hospital. “This certification is a great recognition of the outstanding work done by members of the pulmonary rehabilitation team, and the positive patient outcomes team they achieve every day.”

COPD is the most common form of lung disease. Shortness of breath and loss of energy are symptoms often associated with COPD, and can lead to difficulties performing daily activities, including hobbies and social outings.

The pulmonary rehabilitation program at St. Peter’s Hospital helps patients with COPD and other lung diseases improve their breathing and overall well-being. The structured program features an individualized education and exercise plan specially designed for each patient by a multidisciplinary team.

In awarding the three-year certification, AACVPR recognized the St. Peter’s Hospital pulmonary rehabilitation program for its commitment to improving the quality of life by enhancing standards of care.

To receive certification, the St. Peter’s Hospital program participated in an application process requiring extensive documentation of the program’s practices. AACVPR program certification is the only peer-review accreditation process designed to review individual programs for adherence to standards and guidelines developed and published by AACVPR and other professional societies. Each program is reviewed by the AACVPR program certification committee and certification is awarded by the AACVPR board of directors.

AACVPR-certified programs are recognized as leaders in the field of cardiovascular and pulmonary rehabilitation because they offer the most advanced practices available.

For more information about AACVPR, please visit: https://www.aacvpr.org

To learn more about pulmonary services at St. Peter’s Hospital, please visit: http://www.sphcs.org/pulmonary