News
Beebe Medical Center Sleep Disorder Center Reaches out to the Community
10/21/09
To better serve patients with sleep disorders, Beebe Medical Center Sleep Disorder Center will provide a free monthly clinic for those patients who have been prescribed the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine to help them sleep.
The clinic will be available the first Thursday of every month with appointments from between 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Beebe Sleep Disorder Center, located in Suite 213 of the Medical Arts Building in the Beebe Health Campus at 18947 John J. Williams Highway, Rehoboth Beach.
CPAP is a common treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). According to the National Sleep Foundation, more than 18 million people suffer from OSA. During sleep apnea, patients wake up several times during the night because they literally stop breathing. Breathing begins once they awake. Usually, they do not know that this is happening. The consequences of this interrupted sleep pattern leads to drowsiness during the day, weight gain, depression, and the risk of diseases such as hypertension, coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure. Of those patients being treated for sleep apnea, only 65 percent of them are using the CPAP machine properly. Consequently, the other 35 percent of patients are not receiving the benefits from the treatment.
The goal of these free monthly clinics is to improve overall health of patients in the community with sleep apnea by providing educational support in the following three areas:
1. Information on the disease process of obstructive sleep apnea
2. Insights on CPAP mask problems that interfere with the patient from using the machine and gaining the health benefits.
3. A support system for patients with sleep apnea and their physicians in achieving compliance in the treatment of their disease.
Inquiries and appointment scheduling can be made at the Beebe Medical Center Sleep Disorder Center (302)-645-3186.
Beebe Medical Center is a not-for-profit community medical center with a charitable mission to encourage healthy living, prevent illness, and restore optimal health with the people residing, working, or visiting in the communities we serve. For more information, please visit us online at www.beebemed.org
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