Exhale revolutionizes lung rehabilitation
With input from a multidisciplinary team of experts, this comprehensive online pulmonary rehab program puts patients in charge of their disease. Exhale’s program can be done from home and yields massive improvements to health and quality of life.
Living with a respiratory problem is not easy. Exhale’s 12-week program gives people with lung disease the power to take control of their life by learning how to manage symptoms. Exhale is a Certified IdeaPros Partner.
Research supports the effectiveness of pulmonary rehab and its benefits for those suffering from lung disease. The issue for many Americans trying to access such treatment is a lack of insurance coverage. Many Americans can’t go to rehab due to a combination of costs and a lack of access, with hospitals offering the services remaining few and far between. Only about 2% of the population that could benefit from pulmonary rehab ever get to a program.
That’s where Exhale comes in.
Inventor and CEO, Wendy Lawson, began work on Exhale in 2019 to address these issues that were further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The few rehab options grew fewer during the pandemic. Many of the existing options were removed amidst staffing issues, and concern about putting immunocompromised people in a group setting. The need for pulmonary rehab was at an all-time high as COVID-19 ensured lung health could be a matter of life and death, and it was inaccessible.
“What I decided to do was solve the issue of disparity in access and availability by creating my own online program. Anybody can log on to it themselves, they don’t have to have a referral to the program. Users do their personalized program in 12-weeks, and we teach them all kinds of stuff that will benefit their quality of life.”
Exhale is a web-based app helping patients get better from the comfort of their homes. Many patients are hesitant to join a rehab program because of time or transportation concerns. And according to a survey from the Prevent Cancer Foundation (PCF), 43% of American adults missed routine medical checkups during the pandemic. Cost, fears, and inconvenience has kept many Americans away from this vital service until now.
Exhale caters to anyone with a lung condition, including post-COVID syndrome. It is the very first online lung rehab that uses personalized programs to meet individual goals. Exhale is launching with 231 videos and more content is on its way, including personalized content on an extensive list of specific conditions.
“Let’s say you’re a parent of a five-year-old that has asthma, and you have no idea how to administer all of their medicines; we teach you how to do that. And then we teach your child how to identify and manage their triggers for better long-term control. If you smoke, we include smoking cessation lessons. When we launch our modules for patients with lung cancer, we’ll teach them pre-surgical prehab. It prepares them prior to lung surgery and supports them during the rebuilding phase. Learning how to set up your home or how to cook to optimize lung health can make a big difference in quality of life; our program includes all of these things,” said Lawson. “There’s a whole slew of personalized options. It’s a ton of content, but it’s all really good information that is difficult to get in a five-minute block at the physician’s office.”
Exhale includes a personalized program designed to help those with lung disease. Their courses help gain strength, increase activity, and control symptoms. Coursework includes: Basic Disease lessons, Medication Management, Welfare and psychological support lessons, Nutrition classes, exercise, and more.
Wendy Lawson leads a team of medical experts. She is a licensed Respiratory Care Practitioner and has a Master’s Degree in Public Health focused on Chronic Disease Epidemiology. Wendy serves on the board of the American Lung Association locally and is the Chair of the Regional board. She has dedicated her life to helping those with lung disease.
To learn more about Exhale, please visit www.joinexhale.com
