Dodge County Hospital opens Pulmonary Rehabilitation Unit

Dodge County Hospital recently added a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Unit to help patients recovering from COVID who have asthma and other medical conditions.

EASTMAN, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Dodge County Hospital recently added a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Unit to help patients recovering from COVID who have asthma and other medical conditions.

The unit was added to the hospital a month ago. Tiffany Wimberley, the director of the unit, says the program is currently helping 10 patients.

“Anybody with lung problems they all have everything in common, which is shortness of breath, so that’s what we work on,” she said.

The program is 12 weeks long and starts off by having patients walk on a treadmill to help them regain strength. They also start with other conditioning tasks and breathing exercises.

More than half of the patients in the program are recovering from COVID. Wimberley says she wants to do whatever to help.

“I feel like I’m in this pulmonary rehab program where I can actually see the fruits of my labor and I can help these Covid-19 survivors that are in this, and I can actually help them get better. ”

Dusty Martin, a patient in the program who is recovering from COVID-19, says he was in the hospital for 11 days but can already tell a difference by going through the program.

“This is my third time coming, and I can already tell my oxygen stays up higher than it did,” he said.

The hospital says its wants those who have been impacted by COVID to know the program is a resource to help in recovering.

“It gives us the opportunity to get people back in a lifestyle to be able to go back to living as they did before the pandemic got here,” CEO of Dodge County Hospital Ladon Toole said.

The unit is accepting people from surround counties as well. Just call the hospital at (478) 448-4125.