Those who have experienced heart disease share a common bond.  Clinical management and care of the patient while in the hospital are certainly important but because of the uniqueness of the first hand experience, there is an area of outreach that the clinician cannot directly meet.  In order to augment the care that is given to heart patients, The Heart & Vascular Center has begun the development of an Alumni Club to facilitate patient support through personal experience and camaraderie among heart patients.

Membership in the Alumni Club is offered to all heart patients.  There is no cost for membership and the participants are all given the option to choose their level of participation.  The club is designed to serve as a support, visitation, activity and education group for all those who choose to participate.  Some additional benefits include quarterly meetings featuring educational and informational program, regular newsletter mailings, and notification of special activities and events.  Members can also participate as a patient visitor or in other volunteer activities in the hospital.

ICD Support Group

The ICD (Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator) support group is a group of patients that meet monthly to share and discuss the aspects of living with an ICD.  They also have educational presentations along with a time of open discussion at each meeting.  Led by the cardiac nurse educator, this support group also makes phone calls and hospital visits for new ICD patients as well as those within the group who are admitted for complications.  This support group is offered free to patients and their spouses. Click here for date and time information.

Mended Hearts Support Group

In an effort to support community activities and programming for heart patients the The Heart & Vascular Center of Baptist Hospital also serves as a host site for the Mended Hearts Support Group.  Mended Hearts is a national support group for open heart patients that operates under the auspices of the American Heart Association (AHA).  The group meets on the third Thursday of each month on a rotating schedule among the three hospitals that offer open heart services in Pensacola. 

The Mended Hearts provide visitation and support for open heart patients while they are in the hospital.  Visitors from the group are trained and accredited by the AHA and offer support through visits prior to the procedure and sometimes after the procedure for both patients and family members.

Check out what other support groups Baptist Health Care has to offer.