Health Services
Cardiac Rehabilitation
The Cardiac Rehabilitation Program at Brookings Health System provides a multi-disciplinary approach to helping patients return to an active, healthy lifestyle following an episode of cardiac dysfunction such as a heart attack or heart surgery. 
The program is administered jointly by Brookings Health System and South Dakota State University (SDSU) and consists of three phases:
- Phase I: Initial inpatient stay at Brookings Health System
- Phase II: Outpatient, hospital-based exercise program
- Phase III: SDSU-based maintenance program
Contact the Cardiac Rehab department at (605) 696-9000, extension 7125.
Cardiac Rehabilitation: Improving your quality of life after heart disease
Cardiac rehabilitation is a program supervised by a physician that can help speed up your recovery from a heart attack and improve your overall physical and mental well-being.
The goal of cardiac rehabilitation, according to the American Heart Association (AHA), is to reduce your risk of having another heart attack or to keep an existing heart condition from getting worse.
The AHA says a cardiac rehabilitation program should include:
- Counseling to help you better understand and manage your heart condition.
- An exercise program that may include walking and using a treadmill, bike or rowing machine.
- Help in dealing with risk factors such as high blood pressure and cholesterol, smoking, physical inactivity, obesity and diabetes.
- Help returning to work.
- Information about physical limitations.
- Emotional support.
