BOONEVILLE - Mercy has opened a sleep lab in Booneville to conduct studies for patients with a variety of sleep-related disorders.
The move from Mercy Hospital Waldron to Mercy Hospital Booneville creates a centralized location for Mercy Sleep Center to serve patients in Logan and Scott counties and surrounding areas, according to Chellie Smith, director of sleep services for Mercy in the Fort Smith region.
Mercy sleep centers help people with disorders such as insomnia, restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea, which is characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. The centers are staffed by seven registered polysomnographic technologists, four of whom also are certified respiratory therapists.
Mercy Sleep Center in Booneville provides studies Monday through Thursday nights weekly, with plans to add Fridays. The labs are nationally accredited, offer private rooms, queen-size beds with premium mattresses and daytime studies (at the Fort Smith lab only) for those who work the night shift.
A primary care physician may recommend a sleep study for patients who have trouble falling or staying asleep, who snore, pause in breathing or gasp at night, experience daytime sleepiness or have other sleep disruptions.
After it's determined a sleep study is needed, a technician walks patients through an in-depth, one-on-one discussion before they're wired with sensors. The technician closely monitors patients while they are sleeping. Testing and treatment is determined by a board-certified sleep specialist.
Mercy Sleep Centers last year received a three-year national accreditation that demonstrates a commitment to providing the highest level of performance and patient care. The Accreditation Commission for Health Care granted the accreditation, which focuses on clinical care when patients are tested for a variety of sleep disorders. The three centers demonstrated a commitment to providing quality care and services to patients through compliance with the commission's nationally recognized standards.
If you think you could benefit from a sleep study, ask your primary care doctor for a referral to one of the three sleep centers or make an appointment with Dr. Snell or nurse practitioner Paula Brosnan at Mercy Clinic Sleep Medicine