Transylvania Regional Hospital's Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program offers community members knowledge, support and hope

According to the American Lung Association, over 35 million Americans cope with lung conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. It’s safe to say that most people can identify with how frightening it feels to have problems getting sufficient air, but living with a chronic lung condition undeniably affects your quality of life.

Transylvania Regional Hospital (TRH) is proud to offer our community members an excellent Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program, where patients can receive close monitoring and care from specially trained nurses who help them set physical activity goals that are safely customized to their symptoms and conditions. The program also provides critical education on lung conditions, treatments, and coping skills, as well as the opportunity for participants to meet each other and share their experiences and support. This helps combat the social isolation that many living with chronic lung disease experience.

Pulmonary rehab nurses oversee each patient and ensure that they all work at their own pace. They also offer guidance on everything from improving breathing efficiency to energy conservation and infection prevention. The team counsels patients about how to improve their bronchial hygiene, or keep their airways clear of excess mucous. Other approaches include talking to patients about staying well hydrated, showing them a variety of breathing techniques, and offering advice on body posture and coughing. 

Pulmonary rehab also empowers patients to partner with their physicians in their care and inspires them to adopt and maintain healthy life choices, including eating well, exercising, and avoiding things that are harmful to their lungs, like smoking. Other important aspects of rehab education include learning about medications and medical devices, such as inhalers, becoming familiar with how to use oxygen therapy, and more.

There are numerous conditions that might prompt a provider to refer a patient to our pulmonary rehab program. One is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The disease is progressive, and a patient’s treatment and rehab plan will be guided by their disease stage (there are four stages). TRH’s pulmonary rehab program is able to accept patients who are at stage 2 or beyond.

We are also approved to treat patients who suffer with a condition that didn’t even exist six years ago — long Covid, which causes many problematic symptoms, including extreme fatigue, digestive problems, and sleep disturbances. However, lingering respiratory symptoms as a result of lung damage are real problems for many long Covid patients, many of whom were also diagnosed with pneumonia. They may have trouble with breathing, shortness of breath, labored (faster or deeper) breathing, and cough.

Those living with chronic asthma can also benefit from participating in pulmonary rehab, as can individuals with pulmonary fibrosis — a condition involving lung scarring caused by chest radiation, environmental irritants, and other factors, such as rheumatoid arthritis.

Since TRH is committed to treating the whole patient, our Pulmonary Rehab Program has been designed to meet a patient’s physical, intellectual, and emotional needs. The program helps patients maximize their lung function and successfully deal with the life limitations chronic lung diseases pose.

In other words, even though rehab cannot cure lung disease, it can relieve symptoms, enhance patients’ ability to exercise so they can improve endurance and muscle strength, and help them with daily functioning and mood improvement, because chronic lung disease is associated with depression and anxiety. For example, a person living with COPD learns about medications, treatments that exist for when flare-ups occur, and stress management techniques like mindfulness practices.

More than half-a-million North Carolina residents struggle with COPD alone, so there’s no question that pulmonary rehab programs are urgently needed. Our community is fortunate to have a first-class program here at the hospital, that patients can be referred to or they can self-refer — and it is covered by most insurance companies. To learn more about or enroll in our Pulmonary Rehab Program, please call (828) 883-5322. The facility is housed within TRH and coincides with our Cardiac Rehabilitation Program.

TRH’s Pulmonary Rehab Program serves so many needs and can be transformative in improving a patient’s quality of life, allowing them to be as active and involved as possible in their communities, with their families, at work, and beyond.

At HCA Healthcare’s Transylvania Regional Hospital, we believe excellent people make excellence happen. Our colleagues make a positive difference every day across our hospitals and our communities. Every department matters and every colleague plays a role in delivering healthcare to our patients. Each day, we have an opportunity to make a positive impact, whether it’s directly caring for one of our patients, helping a fellow colleague, or working to bring the latest technology and treatments to our patients.  Before closing, I’d also like to encourage readers to talk to their primary care provider about being screened for colorectal cancer. March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and if you’re due for a colonoscopy, don’t delay — it’s a proven lifesaver.

Michele Pilon, MS, BSN, RN, NE-BC, is the chief executive officer and chief nursing officer of Transylvania Regional Hospital. Her diverse professional experience includes service as a bedside nurse and over a decade as a leader at healthcare institutions in Virginia, Florida, and North Carolina. Ms. Pilon earned a Bachelor’s in Nursing from Ohio’s University of Akron and a Masters in Health Services Administration from the University of St. Francis in Illinois; she is also a Board-Certified Nursing Executive.