Ohio State soon will have a larger and more advanced center to combat the problems of sleep disorders.
The Sleep Disorder Center, located in Rhodes Hall, will be moved to University Hospitals East, which will create more space and the purchase of new and advanced equipment.
“We just don’t have enough space,” said Elizabeth Seely, administrator of University Hospitals. “We don’t have enough space to expand rooms, and we don’t have enough space to expand consultation.”
The new space will increase the number of sleep rooms from eight to 10 and will create a physician exam and consultation space inside the center. The consultation space will allow patients to see their doctor and where they will be sleeping at the same time, Seely said.
OSU has recruited Ulysses Magalang from the University of New York at Buffalo to be the new medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center. Magalang, a member of the department of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine, is looking forward to the new space.
“The new equipment is going to be state-of-the-art. Everything will be computerized and digital,” Magalang said.
The expansion will increase services in terms of the number of beds. It will be a dedicated sleep center and will help to build a multi-disciplinary approach, Magalang said. The multi-disciplinary approach will allow patients access to more doctors in related fields.
Much of the focus of the new center will be on making a comfortable atmosphere for patients. The new rooms will look much like a normal bedroom to make patients feel more comfortable.
“That is the key – to make it as comfortable as possible for the patients,” Magalang said.
One of the most common forms of sleep disorder is sleep apnea, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. The disease affects approximately 12 million Americans and causes them to stop breathing occasionally during sleep. Symptoms of sleep apnea include headaches, learning problems, fatigue, snoring and mood swings, according to NHLBI.
The new technology OSU will acquire through the expansion and relocation of its sleep clinic will allow doctors to fight sleep apnea, in addition to other sleep disorders.
