NE Woman: Lorrie Williams is not afraid of taking chances.

Lorrie Williams is not afraid of taking chances.

When the cardiac rehabilitation program at Marion Community Hospital was discontinued, Mrs. Williams left the security of nursing at the hospital and decided to create her own cardiac rehab program in Carbondale, despite the risk of failure and financial ruin.

Today, Mrs. Williams' In the Cardiac Direction Wellness Program, which is based at the Greater Carbondale YMCA, is thriving. As an individualized exercise and wellness plan to help prevent heart disease in participants, Mrs. Williams' brainchild won a first-place Health & Human Services award from NEPA Alliance and Northeastern Pennsylvania Nonprofit & Community Assistance Center and has received grant funding from Blue Ribbon Foundation.

Mrs. Williams has affected the lives of about 75 participants, who are monitored at the Carbondale YMCA. A registered nurse, she monitors patients' blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturation levels both before and during exercise.

"Once you get to a certain point, you don't want to come to a hospital for these things," she explained.

Patients enjoy being monitored and exercising in the relaxed YMCA environment. Jenny Gillott, a Carbondale resident, stayed with Mrs. Williams during her transition from Marion to the YMCA. "I liked her so much, I came back here," she said enthusiastically. While Mrs. Williams measured Ms. Gillott's blood pressure and oxygen levels, the two joked back and forth. Her office has been dubbed "The Confessional," because "patients will often tell me things they won't tell their doctors," according to Mrs. Williams.

Mrs. Williams believes that immersing participants in such an environment encourages them to continue their rehabilitation. "Here, participants see kids playing basketball and friendly, healthy faces: it's a well environment. If cardiac patients enjoy what they're doing, they'll remain compliant with their diet and exercise regimens,"

Keep program operating

It wasn't always certain that the program would be successful. When Marion Community Hospital discontinued its cardiac rehab program, Mrs. Williams knew she wanted to continue in that field. "I just thought to myself, you know, why not buy some equipment, start an extension program and market it through YMCAs or gyms?"

She knew the start-up costs could be astronomical, but she didn't let herself become overwhelmed. "I took a step back and just wrote the program."

Cardiac rehab programs are usually classified as Phase I, which applies to patients who have just experienced a cardiac event, such as a heart attack, through Phase III, which applies to outpatients still visiting the hospital for monitoring.

Mrs. Williams, however, envisioned another step. She wrote a Phase IV program, which is unique to the area, to promote lifelong healthy habits and continued monitoring. She also took a multidisciplinary team approach in devising her program, involving a registered dietician, a pharmacist, a respiratory therapist, a cardiologist, a physical therapist and a fitness trainer to ensure participants received complete care.

Belief in program

Mrs. Williams then approached Steve Durkin, the executive director of the Carbondale YMCA, about making her dream a reality. Mr. Durkin believed in the program and took a chance on it, presenting it to the YMCA's board of directors. Now, Mr. Durkin says, "The program is 10 times better than I even envisioned."

Mrs. Williams has nurtured the program into a full-grown area network, running branches out of Pro-Care Physical Therapy in Clarks Summit as well as Core Fitness gym in Scranton.

Mrs. Williams, who says her greatest passion in life is education, wanted to create a program that would "bridge the gap between the physician's office and patients' lives in the real world." In terms of surgery, she feels that people believe "a cut is a cure" - but that's not necessarily true. Rehabilitation and continued wellness are integral factors in heart health, so the program educates participants, helps in planning their diets and ensures they exercise with the proper intensity and frequency.

Shortly after starting the program, the importance of her work hit close to home. While testing new equipment for the program on her husband, Mrs. Williams found some abnormalities in his results. A few months later, after more observation, Mr. Williams required a quadruple bypass to clear blockages due to heart disease. Mr. Williams is now a healthy participant of In the Cardiac Direction.

Blessed with helping others

Mrs. Williams feels her purpose in life is to help others. "People are so busy. If we could just slow down and take responsibility for our health, I feel that we could significantly decrease chronic illness," she said. She explained that she feels blessed to be in a position to help others, and couldn't imagine doing anything else with her life.

Mrs. Williams' father, a life insurance salesman, died at 53 of heart disease. She's putting a different spin on his story, giving participants a lease on life by identifying risk factors and encouraging health. "If I can change just one person's life, I feel like I'm giving back," she said. "That's my true passion."

Contact the writer: skolinovsky@timesshamrock.com

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At home: Resides in Carbondale with husband, Rick Williams. Daughter Megan graduated with a physical therapy doctorate from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and works at Pro Care Physical Therapy in Moscow. Son Ryan is a third year student and football player at Lycoming College.

At work: A registered nurse, she is the program coordiantor of In the Cardiac Direction Wellness Program at the Carbondale YMCA.

Inspiration: I went into nursing because of my dad's death at such a young age, and currently my husband and children inspire me to continue fighting heart disease

Diversions: playing with her English pointers Ace and Deuce, gardening, flower arranging, spending time with family and reading.

Aversion: "My pet peeve is when people live within their own world and don't want to look in their communities or even further to help others."

Quote: "In life, you should go out on a limb, because the view is spectacular." Meet Lorrie Williams, RN

At home: Resides in Carbondale with husband, Rick Williams. Daughter Megan graduated with a physical therapy doctorate from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and works at Pro Care Physical Therapy in Moscow. Son Ryan is a third year student and football player at Lycoming College.

At work: A registered nurse, she is the program coordiantor of In the Cardiac Direction Wellness Program at the Carbondale YMCA.

Inspiration: I went into nursing because of my dad's death at such a young age, and currently my husband and children inspire me to continue fighting heart disease

Diversions: playing with her English pointers Ace and Deuce, gardening, flower arranging, spending time with family and reading.

Aversion: "My pet peeve is when people live within their own world and don't want to look in their communities or even further to help others."

Quote: "In life, you should go out on a limb, because the view is spectacular." Meet Lorrie Williams, R.N.

At home: Resides in Carbondale with her husband, Rick. Daughter Megan graduated with a physical therapy doctorate from the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia and works at Pro Care Physical Therapy in Moscow. Son Ryan is a third-year student and football player at Lycoming College.

At work: A registered nurse, she is the program coordinator of In the Cardiac Direction Wellness Program at the Carbondale YMCA.

Inspiration: "I went into nursing because of my dad's death at such a young age, and currently my husband and children inspire me to continue fighting heart disease."

Diversions: playing with her English pointers Ace and Deuce, gardening, flower arranging, spending time with family and reading.

Aversion: "My pet peeve is when people live within their own world and don't want to look in their communities or even further to help others."

Quote: "In life, you should go out on a limb, because the view is spectacular."