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MacCardiac Rehabilitation Program

The MacCardiac rehabilitation program offers safe and appropriate exercise programs for participants with heart disease. Participants either have risk factors for heart disease or have had a heart attack, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, angioplasty/stent, valve repair/replacement, or heart transplant.

Our goals are to help participants improve their exercise capacity and quality of life, to adopt lifelong heart-healthy lifestyles, and most importantly, to reduce future risk of heart disease.

Supervised exercise sessions are designed to meet the individual needs and fitness levels of each participant. A documented emergency plan is in place and known to all students, health professionals and staff. Everyone working at PACE is required to have CPR, first aid, and automated external defibrillator (AED) certification. Our centre has a direct line to McMaster’s on-campus emergency first response team and local paramedic services as well as an on-site AED.

More than 5,000 people have participated in our MacCardiac program over the past 40+ years. We have many participants who have been exercising at PACE for more than 20 years. Participants have the unique opportunity to exercise and socialize with other cardiac patients in a supervised environment. Participants are welcome to invite partners and spouses to join in all aspects of the program with physician approval.

Information Box Group

How to Join Download Referral Form

Participants are referred to our program by their cardiologist, family physician, or a prior cardiac rehabilitation program. Participants undergo an exercise stress test to create individualized exercise programs. The test is repeated annually to monitor progress and to evaluate the participant’s clinical status. Prior to joining the program, a detailed intake assessment is performed by a Registered Physiotherapist at the Centre to ensure safe and effective outcomes.

To join our program, please have your physician/cardiologist complete and fax a referral form to 905-525-7629 along with a copy of your most recent exercise stress test.

Program Fees

Initial Physiotherapy Assessment (Reimbursable by extended heath plans that cover physiotherapy):

$165/hour

Payments can be made by Visa, Mastercard or Debit.

**Cancellations within 48 hours are subject to a $30 charge. No-shows and same day cancellations will be charged 100% of the appointment cost. **

Membership:

$55/month – $660 total (12-month commitment)

$60/month – $360 total (6-month commitment)

Parking:

$20/month – $240 total (12-month commitment)

$20/month – $120 (6-month commitment)

Accessible parking is available at the Ivor Wynne Centre’s East and South Entrances. Please note that vehicles must display both an Ontario Accessible Parking Permit and a McMaster accessible parking hang tag. The hang tag can be purchased from the PACE reception desk for $10.

PACE Reimbursement Policy: Our standard reimbursement policy is to credit membership and parking fees when a participant has been absent from PACE for a minimum of one month. These fees are credited as an extension of the participant’s respective accounts. Alternatively, if a participant chooses to leave the program, a refund is issued for any unused services of one month or more.