Bangor -
St. Joseph Hospital in Bangor is changing the way it helps heart patients heal.
A new Cardiac Care Management Program focuses on personalized care for patients, outside of the hospital.
Officials say people who take part in such programs are shown to have fewer emergency department visits and hospitals stays, as well as improved health, overall.
Patients are assigned a nurse care manager who works with them one-on-one to answer health care questions and encourage lifestyle changes.
Lois Macias, Vice President of Integrated Care and Physician Practices, says, for exampled, "One of our care managers went to the grocery store, did some shopping, read labels together, did some menus together, so that individual could pick out the right foods, make a menu and make dishes for himself that were nutritious."
Patients who are in the current cardiac rehab program can choose to take part in the new service, which usually lasts 12 weeks.
For more information about it, you can log on to www.stjoeshealing.org.