This week is National Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week. National Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week celebrates and educates the community about the role of pulmonary rehabilitation in enhancing the quality of life of individuals with lung disease. Registered Nurse Practitioner Angela Beckel with the Knoxville Hospital and Clinics tells KNIA/KRLS News some of the pulmonary issues the hospital can treat include individuals with chronic lung disease such as asthma and COPD as well as interstitial lung disease, pulmonary fibrosis and pneumonia. She says they also treat pulmonary nodules such as lung masses and lung cancer. Beckel says the services are designed for people struggling with imparied lung function. She says based on a person’s lung function they could be eligible for an exercise program to help build endurance. She says even if they are unable to change the patients lung function they can help change the efficiency in which the patient’s lungs and heart are working. Beckel says most of the people in the exercise program are oxygen dependent and spend time on a stationary recumbent bicycle that helps extend their activity level. For more information about the Knoxville Hospital and Clinic’s Pulmonary Department and to hear the complete interview with Beckel, tune in to today’s Let’s Talk Knoxville