“Our supervised Fitness Program aims to enhance our patients’ sense of well-being during cancer treatment and help them recover after treatment has been completed,” says Janet Bloch, ANP, director of HCI’s wellness and survivorship initiatives, which include the Fitness Program.

First, participants receive a physical assessment from physiatrist Pamela Hansen, MD, the Fitness Program’s medical director. This enables Fitness Program staff to design a personalized exercise regimen that caters to an individual’s ability, keeping in mind cardiovascular health, strength, flexibility, balance, and limitations as a result of cancer surgery and treatment. Anita Keetch, MS, the program’s coordinator, offers her expertise as an athletic trainer. Participants are then monitored two to three times a week and offered nutrition counseling. The Fitness Program staff also connects participants with a variety of community based exercise activities, including yoga and rowing.

“This is an innovative approach to cancer recovery,” says Bloch. “The combination of assessment, personalized exercise design, and follow-up makes this the only cancer center-based comprehensive fitness program in the country.” Cancer will touch everyone’s life—through a personal diagnosis or the diagnosis of a friend or loved one. HCI’s education and outreach programs address concerns, provide answers, and offer many
reasons to hope.