On Thursday, April 23, Shore Health System celebrated the grand opening of the Dorchester General Hospital Sleep Center.
Addressing the open house guests, Peter Whitesell, MD, medical director of the Shore Health System Regional Sleep Disorders Center, said, “In my 20-year career, I have seen tremendous progress in the science of sleep medicine. Because sleep disorders can affect every aspect of health, it is important for patients to have access to the type of sleep studies that we offer.”
Sleep issues, such as sleep apnea, contribute to many common health conditions, including high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke and heart attack.
Shore Health System’s Regional Sleep Disorder Center operates at Dorchester General Hospital and at The Memorial Hospital at Easton. Sleep studies are done in a setting that resembles a comfortable hotel room. The goal is to recreate a person’s normal sleep pattern as closely as possible. Although a sleep study is typically conducted overnight, Rich Wales, manager of cardiovascular and pulmonary services for Shore Health System, explains, “For people who work night shift, we can do the sleep study during the day when they would normally be sleeping.”
Dr. Whitesell reviews the sleep study results and includes his interpretation in a report sent to the patient’s primary care physician. He also recommends treatment options that best address a person’s medical needs and lifestyle preferences.
“Our well-trained polysomnographic technologists are our greatest asset,” Dr. Whitesell says. “Every day in my office people tell me how impressed they were with the care they received at one of our sleep centers.”
Dr. Whitesell adds, “With the addition of the Dorchester General Hospital Sleep Center, we are able to get people scheduled for sleep studies more quickly so that they can get the treatment they need.”
For more information about Shore Health System’s Regional Sleep Disorders Center, call Memorial Hospital at 410-822-1000, ext. 5338 or Dorchester General Hospital at 410-228-5511, ext. 2181. Also visit www.shorehealth.org/services/sleep.