Home-based heart care helps Veteran

Find a new lease on life

For Army Veteran George Dale, recovery has been a long flight, but today it’s his heart—not his aircraft—he’s steering back on course.

Dale, who served 11 years as a pilot and air traffic controller during the Vietnam era, has weathered more than his share of battles since leaving the service. After being diagnosed with coronary artery disease linked to Agent Orange exposure, his journey has included a four-way bypass, 19 stents, a pacemaker and an ablation.

He’s been receiving care at the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center (MRVAMC) since 1996, when a nurse practitioner first noticed signs of heart trouble and, as Dale put it, “saved my life.”

“It’s been a journey,” Dale shared. “But nurse Kim, she cares about her people. Every Wednesday, we have a standing appointment. I go through my 20 questions, give her my blood pressure readings and a weekly synopsis. It’s cool, because she cares.”

That care comes through the Home-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation program at the  MRVAMC, one of the most effective, yet quietly powerful tools VA offers to help Veterans recover from heart issues.

The program allows Veterans to complete cardiac rehab from home while maintaining close contact with nurses through weekly phone calls and ongoing education about physical activity, tobacco cessation and nutrition. The model has grown rapidly from a few hundred participants in its first year to nearly 700 Veterans this past year, with more than 1,200 Veterans that have completed the program in total.

Dale is just one of those success stories. “When I started this, I was 274 pounds and pre-diabetic,” he said. “Now I take no medicine, no insulin. Today I weighed in at 239. I lost that much weight being in this program.”

His nurse in the program, Kim Phillips, credits his progress to his dedication and his openness to change. But Dale insists the transformation wouldn’t have happened without her. “Special thanks to my nurse Kim,” he said. “Her dedication, care, passion and professional knowledge have totally changed my life. It’s kept me alive, period, and I thank her for that.”

Constantly innovating

VA’s home-based cardiac rehab has expanded beyond traditional heart conditions to support even more Veterans with issues like peripheral artery disease, offering comprehensive care that reduces hospitalizations and improves long-term survival. Behind the numbers are nurses like Kim Phillips and Carol Williams, professionals who provide compassionate, consistent care and become trusted partners in each Veteran’s recovery.

For Dale, that partnership has restored more than just his physical health. “A lot of Veterans lost their lives in Vietnam,” he said. “A lot came home but didn’t realize a part of them died there too. VA helped me find help, and other Veterans who understood.”

Now, he pays that forward. When fellow Veterans question VA, Dale doesn’t hesitate. “I’d drive them there myself,” he said. “We’re lucky to have this privilege. Go across the street to any other hospital and you’re going to wait. Here, they care, and it shows.”

Veterans interested in participating in the Home-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation Program can speak with their primary care provider to determine eligibility and request a consult for enrollment in the program.

This article was originally published on the VA North Florida/South Georgia Health care System site  and has been edited for style and clarity.