White gets certified.

East Los Angeles' White Memorial Medical Center has become the second hospital in the county, and among only a handful in the state, to have its cardiac rehabilitation program certified by the respected American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

The process required White Memorial rehab staff to upgrade information technology systems and clinical practices so they could provide detailed data on patient outcomes; at the clinic, where patients who have undergone bypass surgery and similar cardiac procedures are taught how to exercise, eat, and change behaviors to rebuild their health.

The program's medical director, Dr. Ranier Manzanilla, says the investment was worth it because the process not only provided evidence of its program's effectiveness, but also enables his medium-size 350-bed hospital to stand out from competing programs at the county's higher profile hospitals.

"It legitimizes our program," said Manzanilla, who credits program coordinator Jennifer Lee with shepherding the unit through the process. "We'd like to serve a lot more patients if we can."

Staff Reporter Deborah Crowe can be reached at [phone], ext. 232, or at [e-mail].