AdventHealth Apopka celebrated the opening of its new intensive cardiac rehabilitation (ICR) facility with a ribbon cutting on Friday, addressing a major gap in local heart care by allowing patients to receive rehab close to home instead of traveling to other campuses. 

The ICR program is designed for patients recovering from major cardiac events such as heart attacks and open-heart surgery. It combines closely monitored exercise, disease and medication education, and lifestyle counseling – including nutrition and smoking cessation support – to improve long-term survival and reduce the risk of future cardiac events.  

“What a great day, right? This has been a long time coming,” Kevin Poole, AdventHealth Apopka COO, said during the ceremony. “I heard about this as one of the first things when I came to Apopka. It was like, ‘Cardiac rehab – we need to figure out how to do this here at Apopka.’ And today is the day that that’s all coming to fruition.” 

Poole said the program is already seeing strong demand.  

“I just heard that we’re booked out through May, which is wild,” he said, adding that the new service “rounds out our cardiac program” and meets a clear community need. 

Dr. Linus Wodi, AdventHealth Apopka cardiologist and the program’s director, emphasized the importance of having the service available locally. 

“Patients are really going to have the benefit of having the cardiac rehab in-house where they don’t have to travel any longer,” Wodi said at the ceremony. 

Previously, patients from Apopka often had to travel to other AdventHealth campuses, including Altamonte Springs, to complete rehabilitation. Wodi said that created barriers for some patients and delayed access to care. 

“I just saw a patient upstairs who goes to Altamonte, and I told him about today, and he’s very excited. He’s going to try to transfer his care here,” Wodi said. 

He added that cardiac rehabilitation plays a key role in recovery and prevention, citing improved survival rates and healthier lifestyle outcomes for patients who complete the program. 

 “We’re going to have reduction in hospitalizations. We’re going to have patients doing much better after their events,” Wodi said. “The addition to this service is not – I mean, you cannot overstate how important it is for us on campus.” 

The program includes a structured regimen of about 30 to 32 sessions, during which patients are monitored while exercising and receive education on diet, medications and disease management. Staff also assess psychological well-being, aiming to reduce anxiety and improve adherence to treatment. 

Hospital officials said the facility can accommodate up to eight patients per day, three days a week, with a team of nurses and exercise physiologists. 

Following remarks, staff and attendees bowed their heads as a hospital chaplain prayed over the space, asking for healing and success for future patients. 

The facility is set to open Monday.  

“If you have to drive downtown for that several days a week, that can be really difficult,” AdventHealth Apopka CEO Brad Hillmon told The Apopka Chief in a previous interview. “People’s chances of participating in that process go way down, because it’s just hard. Now, when that is in your local community hospital, and you can drive a few miles to get intensive cardiac rehab, you have a much higher chance of being compliant with your care plan.”