Mercy has opened a sleep lab in Booneville, Ark, 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.
“This will allow us to accommodate more patients within the region, leading to faster turnaround times at all Mercy sleep facilities,” Smith says in a release. Mercy also has sleep labs in Fort Smith and Ozark, as well as Mercy Clinic Sleep Medicine in Fort Smith. “Our team has more than 150 years of experience. That means we can take care of even the most complex cases such as patients with COPD, pulmonary hypertension, post-respiratory failure, and complex sleep apnea.”
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, 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.
