(Mountain Home, AR) - A new Chapter of Mended Hearts, and the first in the State of Arkansas, has been formed with the help and support of the Baxter Regional Medical Center. This new Chapter, #375, brings Mountain Home area residents the unique benefits of heart patient-to-patient services, according to Les Stevens, local chapter president. The Chapter has already attracted over 30 members, the majority of which either has had a heart procedure or has been a caregiver to someone who has.

The patient-to-patient visiting program is the core of Mended Hearts' services. Heart patient volunteers, specifically trained and accredited by the organization and the hospital, make hospital visits to heart patients before or after their procedure. Most visits are to surgery patients, but visits are increasing to patients diagnosed with angina, hypertension or heart attack who do not need surgery. Increasing medical evidence points to the value of emotional support for heart patients during the critical time when they are in the hospital. Besides offering encouragement, the trained visitors also provide educational information such as recommendations for healthy lifestyle choices and tips for medication adherence.

They also offer suggestions for managing depression, which is common after a heart event and can complicate recovery. Most visits are conducted in person but online and phone visits are an option, said Les Stevens of the local chapter. "We encourage patients and their caregiver to join us for regular chapter meetings for peer support and to hear guest speakers talk about topics relevant to heart patients." Local chapter meetings are held on every third Wednesday at 11:30am, at the BRMC Mruk Family Center on Aging. Mended Hearts may be reached locally at 870-421-0360 or nationally at 1-888-HEART99 (1-888-432-7899) or online at mendedhearts.org.