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7 | W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,July 29,2021 w aterloochronicle.ca FREE DELIVERY IS A LIMITED TIME OFFER. SOME RESTRICTIONS APPLY. NO PROMO CODE REQUIRED 65 UNIVERSITY AVE. E WATERLOO (519) 725-5252 don't know what is safe to do, how to push themselves or gain encouragement, and so that's what we can provide here." "I can't say enough," Warren said. "I was just blown away when I came in." The new "Zen-like" space on the third floor of 435 The Boardwalk fea- tures a 75-foot walking track, ample exercise equipment and more space for consultation and stress tests, incorporating natu- ral light and biophilia. It was referred to as a "legacy project" during the cere- mony by project co-ordina- tor Cynthia Voisin, whose family is behind the devel- opment of The Boardwalk and both medical centres at its north end and has a long history of involve- ment with St. Mary's Gen- eral Hospital. "This is only just space," Voisin said, after acknowl- edging the tireless efforts of many to develop it, dat- ing back a decade, "but what you do in here is the real story." This August will mark 40 years since Voisin's mom passed away from a heart condition that was unknown at the time, and she's excited about the op- portunities for advance- ment in cardiac care with so many post-secondary in- stitutions and med-tech companies in the area. She herself has benefit- ted from the care provided by St. Mary's nationally recognized cardiac centre and says it's an asset people should be thankful for. "Everybody has a story about how St. Mary's has helped them and there's a time when you can step up and express your grati- tude," she said. Her family considered giving a financial donation to the hospital, but realized it could do more with its background in construc- tion. "So not only could we help fund this project, but we could help build it for the hospital." The former clinic on Bathurst Drive didn't have a walking track, wasn't on a bus route and wasn't acces- sible to individuals with various disabilities. "A lot of the population couldn't be reached," ac- cording to program direc- tor Andrea Lemberg, who said the space has doubled. "This has been a huge step forward," she said. The Waterloo clinic is at the forefront of St. Mary's "wheel-and-spoke" cardio- pulmonary rehab pro- gram, serving an area of more than one million peo- ple, and will see between 300 to 500 people a year, many on a weekly basis. It now also has additional technological capacity to do more virtually as well. Both new medical cen- tres at The Boardwalk have filled up fast and are home to dozens of family doctors, specialists, surgeons, med- ical labs, imaging and health-related businesses. "The atmosphere has kind of evolved here," said Voisin. "The doctors really like interacting with each other and then for the ben- efit of the patients you have accessibility, familiarity and convenience." "We are so lucky to have an institution like St. Mary's so close to home and lucky for the number of cardiologists," she said. "We can't take for grant- ed what this community has, and this is building on that." STORY BEHIND THE STORY: St. Mary's General Hospital announced that its cardiac care clinic was moving, and the Chronicle attended the ribbon-cutting to find out more. NEWS Continued from page 3 Cutting the ribbon for St. Mary's new cardiac rehab clinic at The Boardwalk (from left): lead cardiologist Dr. Heather Warren, operations charge and dietitian Janice Holley, program managers Craig Robinson and Danny Veniott, and Andrea Lemberg, director of the cardiac program. Bill Jackson/Metroland 'THIS HAS BEEN A HUGE STEP FORWARD'