January 11, 2010 — On Jan. 8, 2010, St. Mary’s Hospital celebrated the grand opening of a new pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation center named after Grace Anne Dorney Koppel, a national patient advocate for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's COPD Learn More Breathe Better® Campaign.  Former ABC News “Nightline” anchor Ted Koppel had the idea for the gift and donated the funds to help open the center in honor of his wife, Grace Anne.

The Grace Anne Dorney Pulmonary & Cardiac Rehabilitation Center at St. Mary’s Hospital provides pulmonary and cardiac rehabilitation services designed to limit the effects of illness, prevent future recurrences or medical complications, and maximize the ability to participate in daily tasks.  Rehabilitation may help individuals improve energy for tasks such as dressing and bathing, walking to the mailbox, shopping at the local store, or dining out with friends and family.  The focus is on rebuilding a patient’s strength and endurance to safely resume life’s demands, whether that is returning to work or his or her favorite hobby.

St. Mary's Hospital is a 103-bed, full-service hospital, delivering state-of-the-art emergency, acute inpatient and outpatient care. MedStar Health is a $3.8 billion non-profit healthcare organization and a community-based network of nine hospitals and other healthcare services across Maryland and in the Washington, D.C., region.