STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Stephenville now offers pulmonary rehabilitation to help individuals reduce shortness of breath and fatigue and improve breathing, lung function and exercise endurance.

Pulmonary rehabilitation is not frequently offered in rural communities, said Brandie Williams, M.D. She is a cardiologist with Texas Health Physicians Group on the Texas Health Stephenville medical staff, as well as the Pulmonary Rehabilitation program medical director. With close to 45,000 people residing in Erath County, there was an immediate need for localizing pulmonary services, Williams said.

“We wanted to offer the community a new program and prevent multiple hospital admissions from patients dealing with chronic breathing issues,” Williams said. “With the closest pulmonary rehab facility more than 40 minutes away, our goal was to address the needs of Stephenville residents by meeting them where they live and helping them improve their breathing conditions and lifestyle.”

Located inside Texas Health Stephenville’s cardiac rehabilitation facility, the program is already improving patients’ quality of life, said Casey Accaputo, B.H.A., RRT, Cardiopulmonary Program director at the hospital.

Helping individuals enhance their quality of life

Those benefiting from pulmonary rehab often deal with one of the seven most common respiratory conditions:

• Asthma
• Bronchitis
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD)
• Cystic fibrosis
• Lung cancer
• Pneumonia
• Tuberculosis

One of those conditions in particular — COPD — is twice as common in rural areas as in large cities, according to the COPD Action Alliance. It’s estimated that 30 million people in the U.S. are affected by COPD, but only 17 million Americans have been properly diagnosed, including more than 1 million in Texas.

“Pulmonary rehab helps people better understand their breathing, so they can live better with their COPD and other chronic respiratory conditions,” Williams said. “It’s so effective, yet it’s often underused, especially in rural communities. Texas Health Stephenville is empowering and educating the community by providing residents with access to quality care where they live.”

Accaputo added that the 12-week program also will help patients who frequently visit the emergency department.

“Pulmonary rehab will provide them with resourceful tools to manage their chronic conditions,” she said. “This program goes beyond supervised exercise. We offer the necessary nutritional guidance, effective breathing techniques and constant emotional support our patients need and deserve.”

*Physicians employed by Texas Health Physicians Group practice independently and are not employees or agents of Texas Health Resources hospitals.