Desert Sleep Center offers patients help
MESA, ARIZ. (Nov. 1, 2008) -- Spending nights looking at the ceiling and not knowing why could be one of the most annoying medical questions people live with. Thankfully, for the past 20 years, Banner Desert Medical Center has offered the East Valley an option that can help—sleep studies that provide answers and, for some, immediate restful sleep.
Paul Barnard, MD, the medical director for the Banner Desert Sleep Center, was the founding physician for the accredited sleep lab. A long-time Banner physician, Dr. Barnard had finished an internship and residency with Banner Good Samaritan before he became interested in sleep medicine through a pulmonary fellowship at the Banner Good Samaritan sleep lab, now closed.
“In 1987, it was decided that the East Valley needed a sleep lab and the idea was to set it up at Banner Desert,” said Dr. Barnard. “When we opened in 1988, we started with the first computerized system created for sleep studies and sleep medicine.”
Barnard said that the lab has grown with the hospital and, like all the departments at Banner Desert, has been moved a couple of times to accommodate that growth.
“We started as a two-bed lab out of the hospital and had two technicians and support from the director of the respiratory services department,” said Dr. Barnard. Barnard said the hospital expanded the lab to four beds and moved it into the hospital but soon realized the noise on the patient floors would be a problem for study accuracy.
It was during this time that the then four bed lab was recognized as an accredited sleep lab by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The lab continues to be one of the few accredited labs in the Valley and one of only 10 accredited facilities in the state of Arizona.
In 1998, the lab expanded for a third time and moved to its current location on the northwest corner of the Banner Desert campus. At five beds, the staff was working overtime much of the week to care for the many patients being referred to the program.
“More and more people are interested in sleep, sleep medicine and how sleep medicine works within health, wellness and development,” said Dr. Barnard. “At first, I was told by a number of people that this would be just a fad. Now, 20 years later, sleep medicine is more important than ever.”
Expanding again in 2003, the Banner Desert Sleep Center currently offers six different bedrooms, and is one of the few labs in the Valley who handle difficult patients, such as pediatric cases and extreme obesity cases.
“We try to accommodate everyone,” said Valerie White, director of the sleep center. “We are known throughout the Valley as the sleep center to send challenging sleep cases, such as complex pediatric patients with ventilators or tracheotomies. We also serve multiple patients who are over 500 lbs. Other labs will not take those cases.”
White said the expansion to pediatrics and the added benefit of being an accredited center has brought many patients who are looking for the type of quality care for which Banner is known.
“Our standards are very high to make sure we are always living the Banner mission and making a difference in people’s lives through excellent patient care,” said White.
