ELLEN O'MALLEY

I believe in the healing power of the community. It is always a great, safe place for one to start if they need some guidance, or a push in the right direction! 

​

At Strong Hearts Cardiac Rehab, I have witnessed what happens when you bring a group of people together in a healing environment, and give them the space and guidance needed to restore and repair themselves. The program lasts 12 weeks, but most of the changes happen within those first two weeks. On day two, they are put in a classroom with several other adults who have all had some kind of heart event, and they begin to find out they have more in common than they realized. The patient is introduced to the Registered Dietitian and has a 1-on-1 consult with her. Then the patient meets with a mental health professional and also has a 1-on-1 with them. An Exercise Physiologist creates an individualized exercise prescription for that person and their needs. We allow our graduates to keep working out and attending the education workshops once they graduate. An astonishing amount of people still continue to come back daily, usually the same time that their new friends in the program will come.

 

"Many people think that a bypass is a cure - it is not - only a current fix. Without the lifestyle change, it could be needed again. The Strong Hearts ICR program reinforced the benefits and furthered my resolve to live longer and healthier" - Richard Lawrence, Strong Hearts graduate. 

​

Through my experience as a Pool Manager at the Elk Grove Park District, customer service has always been one of our main priorities. I learned this as a teenager when I first started working in the park district. This has been a solid foundation for my professional skills. Another thing the park district taught me was teamwork. As an athlete, I was able to easily apply that to my job. For everything to run smoothly at a waterpark, each individual needs to do their job correctly and each employee has a specific task if, and when, there is an emergency. The park district employees are strongly motivated by this and we work hard to keep members of the community safe. The park district has been an amazing place to work, especially since we work as a team and work with the community, getting to know them, and keeping them safe. The community has so much more to offer than one might realize - they make our jobs worth doing and it keeps us connected to each other.