Cardiac Rehabilitation Graduate Grateful for Gritman’s Heart-Focused Programs.
David Bennett comes to Gritman Medical Center Cardiac Rehabilitation gym a few times each week to maintain his heart health.
“I really enjoy it,” the 83-year-old Moscow man said. “I developed some close friendships with people here. This is sort of a health-social combination.”
David Bennett of Moscow being monitored as part of Gritman’s Cardiac Rehabilitation program.
Cardiac Rehab is a 12-week medically supervised exercise program for patients who are recovering following a heart event. Led by exercise specialists, each participant is monitored to ensure proper levels of vital signs like pulse and blood pressure. Participants also keep an eye on these numbers so they can monitor their improvements over time.
Bennett is now a maintenance participant in the wellness program, and a graduate of the 12-week Cardiac Rehab program in which he enrolled after a 2024 emergency quadruple bypass surgery.
A retired fisheries professor at the University of Idaho, Bennett had always tried to be active. He was a longtime runner and rode his bike the 7 miles roundtrip to work for many years.
He didn’t feel right while jogging one day in 2024. He told his wife, who called the doctor’s office, and they encouraged him to get to the Emergency Department as quickly as possible. Gritman’s Emergency Department team loaded him onto a helicopter to Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene, where he had quadruple bypass surgery.
Activity levels dropped after his surgery and subsequent recovery, enough so that Bennett had to utilize a walker for a time. His providers suggested Gritman’s Cardiac Rehab program to help him return to his active lifestyle.
“They are so conscientious of your health condition, and watch supervision is so closely monitored,” he said. “It was a delight. I started building my body slowly.”
He continually works on his heart and occasionally needs additional medical intervention, including two sessions of atrial fibrillation earlier this year that led to six weeks of inactivity.
Benett commends program leaders Kristi Trout and Allyssa Loesch for their support, and the community environment they have cultivated. In addition to exercise, the pair also recommend recipes and discuss nutrition options to keep the heart healthy.
In addition to the program at Cardiac Rehab, Bennett also recently purchased an e-bike that he uses to ride back and forth between Moscow and Troy. He credits that continued activity to the program at Cardiac Rehab.
“We’re very fortunate in a community this size to have a facility as effective and widespread as Gritman is,” he said. “And certainly, it’s the best show on Earth for getting people back in working order.”
Bennett still meets with Cardiologists from Kootenai Health to follow up on his cardiac event. But he doesn’t have to travel far; Kootenai Heart Clinics keep an office at 2301 W. A St. In Moscow, so
Bennett can attend appointments in Moscow instead of driving roundtrip to Coeur d’Alene.
Learn more about heart health services available through the Gritman Medical Center system at gritman.org/healthyheart.
Learn More About Gritman’s Heart Health Programs
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