Southern Maine Medical Center receives $1.4 million gift for new gym

Southern Maine Medical Center has received a US$1.4 million gift from local philanthropist Dorothy Suzi Osher for a new cardiopulmonary rehabilitation gym. The gift is the largest in the hospital's history and was announced by President and Chief Executive Officer Ed McGeachey. The new, 3,000-square-foot gym will be named the Joseph A. and Anna Marie Petrin Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Gym in honor of Osher's parents. According to staff cardiologist Paul Meadows, M.D., the cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program will be important to the recovery of local heart and lung patients. 'One hundred sixteen million Americans suffer from cardiac and lung disease. To heal they need more than medical intervention. They need to change their way of life, learn healthy eating habits and make exercise a part of their daily routine. These changes are best accomplished in a gym where patients feel secure and are constantly monitored by trained medical professionals,' Meadows said