Door County Medical center is devoted not only to the wellbeing of patients currently under our care, but also to those patients who have been discharged. In order to better guarantee positive long-term outcomes for our patients, DCMC’s Rehab Services team has joined with Exercise Physiologist Adam Peronto to develop a new program that provides support for patients who have been discharged.
Adam Peronto
Adam Peronto brings a diverse array of rehabilitation practices to Door County Medical Center. A 2017 graduate of UW-Eau Claire, Adam worked with children and adults with cognitive disabilities, providing recreational programs to improve movement skills and encourage physical activity. His involvement in a research study, which investigated the impact regular exercise had on the communication abilities of aphasia patients, lead to the development of aphasia specific exercise protocols for group exercise sessions in Minneapolis and Eau Claire. Additionally, Adam has worked with many community outreach programs such as LEEPS, Community Fitness, LIVESTRONG and Special Olympics. More recently, he has worked at the DCMC clinics in Sister Bay and Sturgeon Bay as a rehabilitation assistant.
Bridges to Health
Adam’s most recent project, Bridges to Health, helps patients who, following a medical service at DCMC, need guidance in becoming physically active and in developing a healthy lifestyle. This program focuses on prevention and management by prescribing exercise. Bridges to Health is a supervised exercise program that is safe and appropriate for patients in need of medical supervision during exercise. “We’re concentrating on our geriatric population and on people with special health concerns who have recently been discharged.” says Adam. “This program is designed to help our patients maintain the progress that they made under our care and to help them improve their long-term health.”
Adam will meet with participants at the rehab clinics in Sturgeon Bay, Sister Bay and Algoma to develop an exercise program that safely helps participants manage their weight and improve their strength, endurance and balance. Adam will also be able to go into the home to provide his service for specialty cases. The focus of this program is to eventually ‘bridge’ participants to local organizations and services that will help them continue to improve their wellbeing. Adam adds, “My goal is to provide additional support to our patients through movement and exercise in order to prevent future health problems. After our service we want to help bridge our patients to community organizations that improve social participation and create lasting health benefits. Even though they are no longer in our care we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to help our patients live a healthy lifestyle.”
The long-term benefits of the Bridges to Health program include:
- Improved physical fitness
- Lowered blood pressure
- Decreased cholesterol levels
- Improved cardiovascular function
- Increased physical activity
- Faster recovery time
- Decreased likelihood of future health problems
Door County Medical Center supports a culture of wellness by keeping you active, healthy and independent. Begin your journey today! For more information regarding Bridge to Health call 920-746-0410 or talk with your DCMC physician. This program will be available in Sturgeon Bay, Sister Bay and Algoma.