Online Classes and Events

Whether you are living with heart disease or just want to reduce your risk factors, wellness and prevention programs can help you live a healthier lifestyle. St. John’s Mercy offers rehabilitation services, wellness programs and support groups to help improve your heart health:

Living Successfully with Heart Failure
Learning self-management skills is the key to living successfully with heart failure. In the Living
Successfully with Heart Failure education series offered through St. John’s Mercy Heart and Vascular Hospital, you will learn more about what heart failure is and simple methods you can use to manage your disease.

Please register for any or all of the sessions in the series:
2008 Education Series: 10 - 11:30 a.m.
Session I – Introduction to Heart Failure, 10/3/08
Session 2 – Following a Low Sodium Diet, 10/17/08
Session 3 – Heart Failure Treatment, 10/31/08
Session 4 – Activities of Daily Living and Emotional Well-Being, 11/14/08

Cardiovascular rehabilitation programs
Rehabilitation after cardiovascular surgery or a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease can help patients safely resume normal activities and improve overall health. St. John’s Mercy offers extensive inpatient and outpatient cardiac rehabilitation programs. For information about outpatient programs, call 314-251-6337; inpatient programs are by physician referral.

Fitness First Program
Fitness First is for anyone who has risk factors for heart disease or could benefit from a cardiovascular exercise program. The Fitness First health care team includes exercise specialists and registered nurses working under the supervision of a medical director who is board-certified in sports medicine. Health care professionals supervise the initial 12 weeks of the fitness program to build confidence and teach participants to exercise effectively and safely. Participants exercise at least three times per week on a variety of equipment types. Circuit weight training also is available. Fitness First is offered at the St. John’s Mercy Sports and Therapy Center, which is located at 11433 Olde Cabin Road in Creve Coeur. To register for Fitness First or for a complimentary facility tour, call the St. John’s Mercy Sports and Therapy Center at 314-251-6337.

Dietary counseling and nutrition services
Maintaining a healthy weight and eating a healthy diet are essential to reducing the risk for cardiovascular disease. St. John’s Mercy community dietitians provide individual dietary assessment and nutritional counseling by appointment. For more information, call 314-251-8885.

Support groups
Mended Hearts is a national, nonprofit organization for individuals with heart disease and those who have had a cardiac event or surgery. Members provide hope and encouragement to others whose lives have been touched by heart disease. For information on the St. Louis Gateway Chapter, call 314-432-6346. In addition, St. John’s Mercy Hospital in Washington, Mo., offers “The Beat Goes On,” a cardiac support group.
For more information, please call 636-239-8858.

CPR training
If more people were trained in CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation), more heart attack patients would have a better chance at survival. The American Heart Association says that’s because people who suffer a heart attack and receive immediate CPR from a trained bystander are four times more likely to survive.

St. John's Mercy Medical Center is the fifth-largest CPR training center in the United States, training more than 28,000 people each year. The Medical Center has more 1,300 instructors teaching a variety of courses to health care professionals, emergency medical service technicians and members of the community. The instructors teach Basic Life Support, or CPR, as well as Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). For more information, please call 314-251-4325.