Pinnacle Pulmonary Strategies has opened in Southgate, Michigan.
Owner Leah Bennett said she chose Southgate as the location because she’s a resident of nearby Woodhaven and wanted to establish the business close to home in the Downriver area. After some research, she discovered that there weren’t any other standalone facilities of this type in the area.
“There are other pulmonary rehabilitation clinics in southeast Michigan, but they’re all located within hospitals,” Bennett said.
Bennett does not have a medical background, but when she divorced and was bought out of her share of the business she had co-owned for 18 years, her mother, who had experience as a nurse working with patients with respiratory issues, suggested she start a pulmonary rehabilitation business.
So far, the clinic consists of a medical director, a registered nurse, two respiratory therapists and one physical therapist. They work with clients who have a variety of lung and chest-related conditions, ranging from emphysema to asthma to people recovering from chest surgery. Bennett said as the client load grows, she will add more respiratory therapists.
Thus far, according to Bennett, most patients are coming from doctor referrals or word of mouth. One was referred to a pulmonary rehab clinic at a major hospital but was placed on a waiting list and became impatient after three weeks.
“After three weeks and no call back, he wanted to start treatment, so he called here to get more information and that’s how he became our client,” Bennett said.
The program includes six core components: evaluation of the patient and development of a treatment plan, progress reports, education about the patient’s specific medical issues, exercise conditioning, breathing therapy and follow-up care.
Respiratory therapists teach patients about their condition, make recommendations for quitting smoking or improving the diet and teach them new breathing techniques. The physical therapist can help patients build strength and endurance or fix ergonomic problems so that patients can take part in the exercises that will help them breathe easier.
Respiratory Therapist Kim Pianko said patients have chest, lung and breathing problems for a variety of reasons, ranging from an inherited disease to inhaling dangerous substances in the workplace.
“We also work with people who have had lung cancer or sometimes even a spinal deformity will affect the anatomy of the lungs,” Pianko said. “With all these patients, we can teach special breathing techniques that keep their blood oxygen percentage up.”
She said some patients come in dependent on canisters of oxygen, while others are don’t use oxygen but find themselves short of breath doing ordinary daily activities.
“For some of our patients, just getting up, taking a shower and getting the mail can be exhausting,” Pianko said. “Our therapy isn’t like exercising in a gym. We got at a slow pace and increase the pace very slightly, and teach them breathing techniques.”
She said most of the lung conditions such as emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are not reversible, but therapy can improve patients’ quality of life. Staff can also provide counseling to patients who may be having trouble adapting to a new diagnosis.
“Maybe they can’t do the things they were able to do before, and they just need to talk to someone who understand what they’re going through,” Bennett said.
Patients are re-tested with a spirometer about every 30 days.
“We teach them a new way of breathing and build their strength and endurance. I see them leave happier and healthier,” Pianko said.
For more information, visit pinnaclepulmonary.com.
