The Grace Anne Dorney Pulmonary Rehabilitation Center

What Is Pulmonary Rehabilitation?

The Pulmonary Rehabilitation Center helps those with breathing problems to return to a healthier and more active life. The program helps patients diagnosed with diseases referred to as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), which include emphysema, chronic bronchitis and asthma. It also helps patients with black lung disease.

The program is simple and powerful. It has three basic parts:

• A complete medical history and physical evaluation with testing to measure breathing capacity
• Education of patients and family members regarding the nature of breathing problems and how patients can better manage their disease
• Mild, supervised exercise therapy to improve muscle conditioning, heart fitness and breathing

During our 12-week program, our professional staff monitors each patient closely and adjusts the goals to fit each patient’s individual needs. Participants will share the rehab experience and gain mutual support with other patients in the program. A typical rehab group will have four to six patients.

We have a number of safety measures in place including limiting rehabilitation appointments to one patient per session to combat concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

What will you learn in the program?

Knowledge is essential to take control of your breathing problem. You will learn:

• How your breathing system works
• Exercises to improve your breathing
• Proper use of medications
• Relaxation techniques
• How your diet impacts your breathing
• How to understand medical test results
• How to stop smoking

What are the benefits of rehabilitation?

Our goals are to help patients reach their maximum potential to participate in all activities of daily living, minimize episodes of feeling breathless and reduce the need for hospital care.

Why the name, “Grace Anne Dorney Pulmonary Rehabilitation Center?”

Grace Anne Dorney had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Back in 2001, the disease was taking over her life. Her daily activities were becoming more and more restricted, and she was told she had only a few years to live. It was then that she learned about pulmonary rehabilitation for people who suffered with COPD. She immersed herself in the program of exercise, education about the disease and how to deal with it. As a result, her life was restored, and Grace Anne has become a dedicated national advocate for pulmonary rehabilitation. In addition, she and her husband, Ted Koppel, the well-known television news anchorman, have used their family foundation toward the establishment of pulmonary rehabilitation programs in communities of high need for the service.

The Dorney Koppel Family Charitable Foundation has provided financial support and guidance in starting the rehab program at Southern West Virginia Health System. The name of our program is therefore in tribute to a COPD patient who used pulmonary rehabilitation to take control of her disease, restore her life and help many thousands of other deserving individuals breathe easier.

The Grace Anne Dorney Pulmonary Rehabilitation Centers, located at Southern West Virginia Health System’s Lincoln Primary Care and Man locations, were established with support from the Dorney-Koppel Foundation and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.