Extra Precautions Coming To CRMC Cardiac Rehab

Cookeville Regional Medical Center is making changes to its heart and rehab center for better protection against COVID.

CEO Paul Korth said the center is adding zones for isolated cardiac patient treatment.

“For example, somebody that is working out on the treadmill or one of the rowers or something,” Korth said. “There will be plexiglass around that individual work station.”

Korth said the extra precaution is needed since the center’s average patient demographics are considered high risk. Korth said, for that reason, it took longer to get that facility back to capacity after the COVID outbreak. The additions are set to be completed by November.

“We just wanted to be real cautious and real protective and try to be as safe as we can before we open back up,” Korth said.

Korth said COVID could have long term effects on how the hospital makes plans for the future, but the overall implications to how structures will be organized is still unknown.

“This is something that we have never dealt with in our lives,” Korth said. “We are still evaluating that and seeing what those long term effects will be.”