The Grace Anne Dorney Pulmonary & Cardiac Rehabilitation Center
The Grace Anne Dorney Pulmonary & Cardiac Rehabilitation Center at MedStar Health is named after Grace Anne Dorney Koppel, a Maryland attorney; business manager for husband and famous newsman Ted Koppel; and national patient advocate for the COPD Learn More Breathe Better® Campaign from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.
In 2001, Grace Anne was diagnosed with a very severe case of COPD and given a few years to live. COPD is a group of lung diseases including emphysema, refractory asthma, chronic bronchitis, and bronchiectasis. Instead of taking the prognosis as a death sentence, Grace Anne began pulmonary rehabilitation and through hard work and dedication increased her lung capacity from 26 percent to almost 60 percent today. Since 2007, she has shared her experiences on a national platform and is a testament to not letting her health slow her down.
Former ABC News "Nightline" anchor Ted Koppel had the idea for the creation of the center and donated funds as a gift to help open it in honor of his wife, Grace Anne. The Koppel family hopes to open a similar center in rural areas each year until they have opened a center in each state. This legacy will encourage individuals who are suffering to keep fighting and succeed in managing the illness.
Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation treatments
The Grace Anne Dorney Center offers supervised rehabilitation programs for patients who are under the medical management of a physician for cardiac or pulmonary conditions.
- Pulmonary patients have moderate to severe COPD or another significant pulmonary disease
- Cardiac patients have typically just had a heart attack or cardiac surgery within the past six months to a year, or have other qualifying diagnoses
The Grace Anne Dorney Center program includes individualized assessments and care plans. Participants attend two rehab sessions per week for about 18 weeks.
Call 240-434-7143 for more information. A doctor’s referral is required.
Walking program for peripheral artery disease
If you have Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), a structured walking program can make a big difference, enabling you to double or triple the distance you can walk before developing symptoms or before having to stop.
Regular walking to the point of developing moderate pain, then resting briefly and repeating the process, will improve your ability to walk more than any other known exercise and most other medical and surgical treatments.
Call 240-434-7143 for more information.
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Have general questions for our heart and vascular program? Email us at AskMHVI@medstar.net. If you have clinically-specific questions, please contact your physician’s office.