What to Know
- Patients who have had a heart attack or are recovering from heart surgery work out in the gym on the cardio floor at Southampton Hospital
- The gym manager says at least one patient complained about being stuck between a Trump supporter and a Clinton supporter
- Stress can elevate blood pressure and increase irregular heart rhythms, among other symptoms dangerous for heart patients
A Long Island hospital has banned political debates in the gym of its cardio rehab unit over concerns divisive discussion could affect patients with heart conditions.
A sign posted in the gym at Southampton Hospital warns against political debates that could stress out patients, many of whom have had a heart attack, suffer from congestive heart failure or are recovering from heart surgery.
Jessica Swiatocha, manager of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation, told Newsday one patient complained about being stuck between a Trump supporter and a Clinton supporter while using the treadmill. Swiatocha said the patient was made "very uncomfortable" after being wedged between the two for 15 minutes.
Swiatocha says she's not against free speech. She says politics can be discussed, but only in a calm manner and not debated, which she thinks can get a little bit heated.
"Stress has been proven to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease," Swiatocha told Newsday. "It can increase blood pressure, increase irregular heart rhythms, decrease immune response, increase anxiety and worsen insomnia. Because of this we like to keep our cardiac rehab a stress free zone. We do a lot of education to our patients on stress reduction and didn’t want to be preaching a low stress lifestyle in a high stress environment."
