Integrative Cardiac Health Project
"We are working to identify and treat coronary disease before symptoms occur."—ICHP Director Colonel (Ret.) Marina Vernalis, D.O., F.A.C.C.
Studies show that coronary disease is largely preventable through a combination of healthy lifestyle and medical best practices. Despite this evidence, primary emphasis is still on the treatment of cardiovascular disease, rather than its prevention.
Focus on Prevention
The Integrative Cardiac Health Project (ICHP) at Walter Reed Army Medical Center seeks to change that. At ICHP, patients take part in a unique program focused on cardiovascular risk reduction through early-detection screening and individualized lifestyle planning.
Customized, Comprehensive Care
ICHP offers a number of unique services to patients, including a comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment. Once they know a patient's risk for developing cardiovascular disease, ICHP staff create an individual prescription focused on lifestyle change. Program participants receive customized motivational toolkits and classroom instruction on a full range of topics from nutrition to stress reduction.
Multidisciplinary teams—comprised of cardiologists, nurse practitioners, nutritionists, exercise physiologists and stress management experts—work with patients to provide not only instruction, but also coaching and motivational support. Team members also work with the referring medical provider to ensure continuity of care.
Patients at ICHP also are given the opportunity to enroll in various cardiovascular clinical trials. Initial topics of exploration include utilizing noninvasive imaging modalities and relating genomic and proteomic changes to the evolution of coronary artery disease.