Health News For Champlain
Thursday, March 07, 2013
Pembroke Regional Hospital
CardioPrevent Program Coming To Renfrew County
PEMBROKE – The Pembroke Regional Hospital is working in collaboration with the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI), and the West Champlain Healthy Community Corporation (WCHCC) to pilot a CardioPrevent Program in Renfrew County this spring.
CardioPrevent is an innovative, evidence-based, theory-driven cardiovascular health program which is designed to empower participants to take control of their heart health.
The program which is free of charge and requires a physician referral, aims to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease in those individuals 18 years of age and older who are at a moderate to high risk for CVD and have not yet established the disease.
Over a one-year period, CardioPrevent staff will guide participants through a customized lifestyle program based on their personal risk factor profile. Clients will undergo a full risk factor screening, receive tailored education and programming supported by behavioural-based counselling, frequent follow ups and connection to community resource linkages when required.
At the same time, the Heart Institute will work with referring physicians to engage and support sustained heart healthy behaviour changes in their patients.
Dr. Andrew Pipe, Chief, Division of Prevention and Rehabilitation at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute said, “We are delighted to work with our colleagues at the Pembroke Regional Hospital and the West Champlain Healthy Community Corporation in delivering a state-of-the-art cardiovascular disease prevention program in Renfrew County.”
While there are many factors that can influence whether or not someone develops a chronic health condition such as CVD, there is increasing recognition that lifestyle factors play a primary role.
Common risk factors include: smoking, high blood pressure, waist size/obesity, alcohol consumption, lack of physical activity, not eating enough fruits and vegetables, psychosocial stress, high cholesterol and diabetes.
In Canada, nine out of 10 Canadians have at least one risk factor for heart disease and stroke while four in 10 have three or more risk factors. Risk factors for hypertension, diabetes, obesity, smoking and inactivity in Renfrew County which is based on population characteristics and statistics is higher than the provincial average.
The CardioPrevent Program team will be able to accommodate 20-40 clients for the one-day screening and client intake event which has been scheduled for April 11 at the Ottawa Valley Health and Wellness Centre.
Call to action – Don’t be another statistic. Are you at risk for cardiovascular disease?
If you are interested in being a part of this program, ask your doctor to evaluate if you are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease. If you are, then your doctor will fill out a CardioPrevent referral form and you will be contacted to start the process.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Carolyn Levesque, Public Affairs and Communications Coordinator
Pembroke Regional Hospital
(613) 732-3675, ext. 6165 / carolyn.levesque@pemreghos.org
Vincent Lamontagne, Senior Manager, Public Affairs
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
T: 613 761-4427
C: 613-899-6760
vlamontagne@ottawaheart.ca
© 2025, thehealthline.ca All rights reserved.