|
|
|
L-R: Teri McCormack, PSGt, LRCP, Dan McCormick, RPSGt, EMT, and Debra Lumpkin, RPSGT, CRTT, LRCP, manager of the St. Anthony’s Sleep Center in Gig Harbor, monitoring patients as they sleep.
|
More than 100 million of Americans are estimated to lack adequate sleep — which can lead to problems like traffic accidents, loss of work productivity and health concerns.
“People are becoming more aware of this as a community issue and public issue,” said Paul Thackara, RRT , director of cardiopulmonary and sleep services for the Franciscan Health System.
Franciscan opened the St. Anthony Sleep Disorders Center in Gig Harbor about a year ago, and according to Thackara, the center has exceeded expectations. “We are very happy with the success,” he said. “It proves Gig Harbor needed a sleep center.”
Recent studies have shown that sleep disorders can lead to heart disease and other health problems. But many people don’t even realize they are not getting enough sleep.
The first month the center was open, it treated 19 patients; now about 80 patients are seen every month on average. There are more than 80 known sleep disorders but the most prevalent one diagnosed at the center is sleep apnea.
“Normally people progress through the stages of sleep — if they have apnea, the progression is disrupted and you never get to the restful stages,” said Thackara, who has been with Franciscan for 22 years and also oversees the organization’s two other sleep disorders centers, located in Lakewood and Federal Way.
The St. Anthony Sleep Disorders Center has four patient rooms that resemble hotel accommodations. The hallway features a pleasant décor with art nooks, and each room has a different color scheme.
“We try to create a real comfortable home environment,” Thackara said.
Patients can watch television or DVD movies in their rooms, shower, and even bring their favorite pillow from home. The average stay is 12 to 18 hours, but the patient is the one who decides when to leave — staff does not wake up those who are not in a rush to get to work in the morning. Breakfast and lunch is available. The spacious rooms are insulated for noise and light — so shift workers who sleep during the day will have no problem avoiding all the light and noise.
“You come here because you’re sleepy and tired, and we’re here to alleviate that,” said Debra Lumpkin, RPSGT, CRTT, manager of the St. Anthony center and veteran Franciscan employee.
| Free sleep seminar
The Franciscan Medical Group will present a sleep seminar in Port Orchard on Nov. 9 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The seminar is free but registration is required. The seminar is presented by Dr. Arthur Knodel, MD, medical director of Franciscan Sleep Disorders Center. To register, call (888) 825-3227.
|
The patients are hooked up to electrodes and are monitored from a remote control room via a camera and microphone. An infrared light allows the sleep technicians to see the patient very clearly, despite the fact the room may be pitch dark. The state of the art equipment includes cameras that can rotate around the room and zoom in so close that a technician can even read, via the remote screen, the cover of a magazine left on the side table.
Once the patient is diagnosed, a treatment is suggested. For sleep apnea, for example, the most common solution is a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine, which the person would use every night. There are other treatments as well, including laser surgery to trim the soft palate in the throat and allow air to flow freely. However, not everyone is a candidate for that treatment.
The center has a board-certified physician, neurologist, psychologist and pulmonologist available. Each technician only monitors two patients. The facility is currently in the process of accreditation, which requires a “higher standard of patient care,” Lumpkin said. They hope to receive the accreditation by next February.
To receive accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, the center had to be open for several months in order to demonstrate its full range of services including diagnosis and treatment.
“There was no amenity spared” with this $1 million project, said Lumpkin, who is a registered polysomnographer, carries a state license as a respiratory care practitioner, and is certified by the National Board for Respiratory Care. She also teaches classes, and is part of a new sleep disorders online program that will be offered through Highline Community College by a consortium of four colleges.
Part of Franciscan sleep programs’ work is about education. Participation in health fairs, seminars and other events are designed to raise public awareness to problems that can result from sleep disorders.
“The more awareness we can build, the better off the community will be in the long run,” Thackara said. |
