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New Sleep Center Opens at Gateway
Posted on: 2006-08-09 | by Daily News Journal
DNJ Press Release on Sleep Center's New Location
MURFREESBORO, TN - Facility across street from MTMC's new location
Sleep is essential for life, and sleep is now an essential part of Murfreesboro's new medical community across the street from the future entrance to Middle Tennessee Medical Center.
The Sleep Center of Murfreesboro just opened in the new Gateway Physicians Plaza on Medical Center Parkway. It is Mufreesboro's only Sleep center.
"It's the perfect location." Said Dr. William H. Noah, Murfreesboro's first pulmonary and sleep specialist, Dr. Noah, along with sleep specialist Dr. Timothy J. Hoelscher, started the Sleep Center at Middle Tennessee Medical Center (MTMC) in 1994 and the duo started the Sleep Center at StoneCrest in Smyrna two years ago. The MTMC Sleep Center recently closed.
Since 1994 Drs. Noah and Hoelscher have treated more than 12,000 patients in Rutherford County with sleep disorders. Dr. Brian Wind, director of the Insomnia Treatment Program, has also been an integral part of the centers' daily operations for several years, and MTMC 2005 Physician of the Year Dr. Ray C. John son will also be seeing sleep patients at the new sleep center.
"The best sleep care in the state has been in Rutherford County for years," said Dr. Jeffery Paffrath, senior partner of Middle Tennessee Ear, Nose and Throat, P.C., who has treated sleep patients in Rutherford County for years. "I actually had my parents treated by Dr. Noah. Only the wait time was a problem. Dr. Noah would be booked out as much as five months in advance. The new center in Murfreesboro has fixed that problem, now we have the best care and a short wait time."
Drs. Noah and Hoelscher began performing sleep studies in 1994 in the oldest part of the hospital with only two beds. Now the combined eight beds (expandable to 10) in the new Sleep Center of Murfreesboro and the Sleep Center at StoneCrest represent the largest sleep practice in Tennessee, ending the long waiting list.
Real estate developer Howard Wall has experienced both Sleep Centers. "I thought the Sleep Center at StoneCrest was as nice as the Opryland Hotel, but the new Sleep Center at Murfreesboro is even nicer. The private bedroom suites are wonderful - Mexican tile bathrooms and flat-screen TV's. I had pictured a hospital room - not the case at all," Wall said.
Murfreesboro cardiologist Dr. Murali Kolli believes, most importantly, the new sleep center will save lives. "Recent research has shown that sleep apnea is a major cause of heart disease and early death." Kolli said. "Preventing heart disease and stroke is no longer just treating high cholesterol and high blood pressure. It is also diagnosing and treating sleep apnea. We now ask all of our patients about snoring and daytime sleepiness."
Sleep apnea, a repeated stoppage of (or reduction in) breathing during sleep, usually accompanied by snoring and daytime fatigue and/or sleepiness, is the most common disorder seen at both sleep centers. Additional disorders that are commonly treated include: insomnia, hypersomnia (such as Narcolepsy), restless legs syndrome/periodic limb movement disorder and other less commonly seen disorders such as sleepwalking, night terrors and nightmare disorders.
To learn more about sleep disorders and the Murfreesboro or StoneCrest Centers, visit the Web site, www.sleepcenterinfo.com Interested persons can sign up for the free electronic newsletter containing educational information for patients with sleep disorders while visiting the Web site.
Rutherford County otolaryngologist (ENT) Dr. Jack Coleman was the first in this country to use a laser to treat snoring and mild sleep apnea. "I've been involved in numerous sleep centers around the country," Coleman said, "and these two centers are clearly the best I've seen. As a member of the Standards of Practice Committee of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, I can assure you that Drs. Noah and Hoelscher are doing it right. It's a multi-specialty approach involving otolaryngology, oral surgery, Pulmonary psychology, neurology, orthodontics and cardiology. Complicated cases get the combined input of multiple doctors from multiple specialties during our staff meetings, and they all work together for the patient's benefit."
"Being treated by Dr. Noah's team has been a life-changing experience for me, as well as my family, mentally and physically. And it was so simple. The increased energy I received made everything more enjoyable." Howard Wall said. "Unfortunately most people don't know they have a serious problem. They're out there in the community tired and at increased risk of death."
The Murfreesboro Sleep Center is located at 1725 Medical Center Parkway, Suite 220. For more information, visit www.sleepcenterinfo.com or call 893-4896.
