Addressing Chronic Lung Disease in the Bronx

How to Treat Chronic Respiratory Diseases

The first outpatient Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program in the Bronx has opened at Montefiore’s Wakefield Campus.

By Dr. Matthew Bartels & Angel Herrera

Bronx Voice 

March 12, 2024

HEALTH - Chronic lung disease is a very hard condition to live with. In addition to the shortness of breath with everything you do, and the inability to work and have the stamina for many activities, there often is the challenge of being on supplemental oxygen. 

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, chronic lower respiratory diseases, like emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), were the sixth most common cause of death, and the fourth most common cause of hospitalization in the Bronx. 

Since COVID, many more people are experiencing lung issues, that cause shortness of breath and fatigue, due to Long-COVID and COVID related lung injury. Lung disease is now even more common and is among the top causes of death and disability in the Bronx.

As part of our commitment to the community, Montefiore is striving to provide care for all people living in the Bronx with chronic lung disease. One of the most beneficial treatments to improve the quality of life, decrease hospitalizations and improve exercise tolerance for people with chronic lung disease is pulmonary rehabilitation. However, there is a severe shortage of available pulmonary rehabilitation programs nationwide, and until now, there have been no programs offering outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation for individuals with lung disease in the Bronx. 

In recognition of the need for better services for our community, and in response to the influx of new people suffering with Long-COVID and chronic lung disease, Montefiore Einstein Rehabilitation Medicine has just opened a brand-new pulmonary rehabilitation program at the Wakefield Campus. Offering the first comprehensive outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program in the Bronx in a new facility on the first floor of the hospital building with easy access and valet parking available for those patients who need it. 

What is Pulmonary Rehabilitation?

Pulmonary rehabilitation is a dedicated form of therapy that combines exercise and education to help people improve their quality of life while living with lung disease. Participants can learn how to exercise with less shortness of breath and learn skills to be able to manage their disease better. 

The educational sessions include learning about lung disease and treatment options, as well as learning how to use medications, how to avoid infections, and how to become more “energy efficient” and do more activities of daily living, such as dressing, bathing, light household chores and cooking. 

The exercise part of the program includes both strengthening exercises as well as endurance exercise. For example, this allows participants to have the endurance to go shopping, and the strength to carry their purchases home. With an improved level of fitness, participants can return to doing the things they enjoy and be less fatigued. One of our goals is to also reduce hospital visits.  

The program is usually 8-12 weeks long and is done in group sessions with individualized training. The benefits of being in a group include sharing experiences with others who have lung disease and creating a community of individuals who can support each other through this challenging condition. 

At the Montefiore Einstein Rehabilitation Medicine program at Wakefield, we have a team of dedicated exercise physiologists, physical therapists, and physicians who will perform an evaluation and then design an exercise program specific to a patient’s abilities and needs. If you would like to learn more about the new pulmonary rehabilitation program at Montefiore’s Wakefield Campus, please call 833-734-2201. We are here to help. 

(Dr. Matthew Bartels is Chair of Rehabilitation Medicine, Montefiore Health System, and Angel Herrera, MBA, Unified Administrator, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Montefiore Health System)