LVH-Schuylkill opens new cardiac unit to the public

March 29-- Mar. 29--POTTSVILLE -- With a brand new heart beating inside his chest, Robert "Oscar" Leskin returned Thursday to the hospital where he was born.

This time, the Pottsville man helped celebrate the open house for the new Cardiac Rehabilitation Unit at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill E. Norwegian Street campus, at 700 E. Norwegian St., Pottsville.

The heart transplant recipient said he couldn't wait to get back.

"I had my first heart attack when I was only 48 years old," Leskin said of his first cardiac event in October 2002.Leskin and his wife, Mary Alice, joined visitors gathered at the new suite, which will be close to home during his on-going recovery. Mary Alice praised the quality of care her husband received there.

The 3,500-square-foot department is located near the third floor, main lobby, just a few steps from the parking garage elevator. The suite includes an expanded gym and exercise area, private consultation room, two curtained bays, reception desk, staff documentation area, utility and storage rooms.

Leskin saw some familiar faces, including Crys Zimmerman, exercise physiologist and program coordinator, who welcomed him with a hug. Craig Souders, director of rehabilitation services, and M. Michael Peckman, director of marketing and public affairs, were among those greeting visitors.

Robert DeColli, MD, LVPG- Schuylkill medical director and practicing physician at LVPG Internal Medicine, Laurel Boulevard, serves as medical director of the new unit.

In 2012, Leskin said he suffered another heart attack. "They told me if I didn't quit my job, I was going to die."

By 2015, he needed a left ventricular assist device, and on Dec. 27, 2017, he received his heart transplant at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Jeffrey Snyder, of LVHN, referred him to Dr. Joyce Wald, a cardiologist at University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Today, he's awaiting a kidney transplant and undergoes dialysis. He's lost more than 50 pounds.

Donna Brenneman returned, too, with her husband, Carl. The city woman recovered from heart catheterization surgery she had five years ago to open up a major artery that was 90 percent blocked.

"I was opening up a jar of pickles when I felt this excruciating pain in my chest," the substitute special education teacher said. "At first, I just thought I pulled a muscle. You need to pay attention to your body. Everybody's different."

Brenneman said the hand cranking equipment in the rehab unit was one of the most difficult for her. She said the bicycle and treadmill didn't bother her as much because she was used to being on her feet. She's started a walking program and has lost six pounds, she said.

As an outpatient program, cardiac rehabilitation benefits patients who have had: heart attack, bypass surgery, stable angina (chest pain), percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)/stent, congestive heart failure, valve replacement and heart transplant.

A new telemetry system allows staff to monitor heart rates of up to eight patients at a time. The new suite is more spacious, provides more privacy and better traffic control than the previous cardiac rehab unit at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Schuylkill S. Jackson Street which closed Jan. 21, according to Zimmerman. The new unit started accepting patients Jan. 23.

"They love the new room. They love the fact that it's housed within a hospital in case of an emergency," Zimmerman said.

A physician referral is required, and it's covered by most insurance. Some patients may have a co-pay, depending on their condition and coverage. The unit is open by appointment Monday through Friday. For more information, call 570-621-5490.

Contact the writer: ; 570-628-6007

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