Man exercising

Heart of Florida Cardiac Rehabilitation Expansion

At AdventHealth Heart of Florida, hearts – and whole health – are in good hands. Experienced and compassionate cardiologists are by your side every step of the way, explaining test results, discussing next steps, and working together so you and your loved ones can enjoy life to its fullest.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in the United States, and Polk County is no exception. Polk’s rate is higher than the overall rate for Florida, with 308 deaths per 100,000 people.

Nationally, approximately every 60 seconds, someone dies of a coronary event. Coronary heart disease causes one out of every four deaths, that’s more than 630,000 people passing away a year. Heart disease affects us all in some way, directly or indirectly.

That’s why we are fortunate to have world-class heart care at AdventHealth Heart of Florida.

Cardiac rehabilitation is critical to healing and recovery. In cardiac rehabilitation, patients work closely with nurses and exercise specialists and often receive a blend of treatments including exercise therapy, education, medical management, and psychological support.

Our AdventHealth Heart of Florida cardiac rehabilitation shares a small area of outpatient rehabilitation. This space restriction limits the number of patients we can can treat pre- and post- heart procedures. Additionally, due to space limitations, we’re unable to provide pulmonary rehabilitation, another key component of whole cardiopulmonary care.

With a new cardiac rehabilitation space, we can grow the number of patients we care for from approximately 100 per year to more than 400 per year.
The plans for this expansion will increase the cardiac rehabilitation area to 3,000 square feet and include the purchase of equipment that’s necessary to adequately serve heart patients.

It is through collaboration and partnerships with individuals, companies and organizations that we can fund a cardiac rehabilitation expansion and bring more lifesaving care to AdventHealth Heart of Florida.

nurse helping patient with mammogram

Lake Wales 3D Mammography

As one of the largest providers of cancer care in the state of Florida and nationwide, AdventHealth has a proven track record in treating cancer through groundbreaking research, innovative treatments and whole person care. As a leader in this field, we have a great responsibility to set the pace and work toward a common goal to eradicate cancer. At AdventHealth Lake Wales, our community members are family. We want to ensure that you don’t need to travel far to receive award-winning, quality health care.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 150,000 Florida residents will receive a cancer diagnosis this year – that’s 17 Floridians every hour. Our goal at AdventHealth Lake Wales is to detect cancer early, so we can help you get back to doing the things you love with the people you love.

Mammograms play a leading role in detecting breast cancer early and before it has spread. Research shows that since 1990, mammograms have saved between 384,000 and 614,500 lives. It is estimated that only half of women over 40 receive regular mammograms. It can be assumed from the benefits of early detection that breast cancer is still taking women’s lives that could have been saved with routine mammograms.

According to the National Cancer Institute, breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women after skin cancer, yet in Florida it is the most common type. Our AdventHealth Polk Foundation intends to help decrease the statistics in our community by funding a 3D mammogram machine through the help of generous donors.

Polk County exceeds the Florida state average in breast cancer cases with 119.7 cases per 100,000 people. Currently within Lake Wales, there is no option for 3D mammography, which is a technology that has been available since 2012. Women must travel to neighboring towns to receive this live-saving imaging. Lake Wales currently has a poverty rate of 21% which is significantly higher than the average for Florida and equates to 1 out of every 4.7 residents. For women without a means to travel outside of Lake Wales this technology is not an option for them.

Evidence continues to show that 3D mammograms are better at finding cancer. An October 2018 study that tracked 15,000 women over five years found that 3D mammography detected 30% more cancers than traditional mammography. And we know that when cancer is found in its earliest stages (often because of routine mammograms), women are more likely to make a full recovery – and less likely to need aggressive treatment to get there.

It is through collaboration and partnerships with individuals, companies and organizations that we can fund a 3D mammogram machine and bring more lifesaving care to AdventHealth Lake Wales.

Volunteer Leadership - Board of Directors

Bruce Davis, Board Chair - Owner, Bruce Davis & Associates

Robert “Rob” McCollum, Vice Board Chair - Market President, SunTrust / Truist

Robert Loftin, Secretary / Treasurer, Finance Committee - Senior Vice President, Citizens Bank & Trust

Megan Adams - Community Activist

JD Alexander - Entrepreneur

Gary Boyer - Founder and President, Boyer Building Corporation

Chris Chartrand - President & CEO, Kegel

Donna Fellows-Coffey - Maria Bates Law

Nikki Hayde - President, Florida’s Natural Grower’s Foundation

Roger Ingley, Esquire - Bunting, Tripp & Ingley, LLP

Rex Jackson - General Manager, LEGOLAND® Florida Resort

Kaelynn Mahalak - Encore

Donald “Don” Mason - Entrepreneur

Louis “Warren” McKnight - President & CEO, Holly Hill Fruit Products Co., Inc.

John Motis - President, Chemical Containers, Inc.

Roc Northey - Owner, Sky Powersports of Lakeland

James Pilkington, MD - AdventHealth Lake Wales

Ernest “Ernie” Pinner - SouthState Bank

Ian Prince - President, Prince and Sons, Inc.

Victor “Vic” Story - President / Chairman of the Board, The Story Companies

Hannah Taylor - Taylor’s Industrial Coatings

Jeremy Voss - Springer Construction

John Webb - Owner / Broker, Webb’s Realty

Philip Weikert - Weikert Ford

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