Ten percent of Americans have insomnia - the inability to doze off easily or to stay asleep long enough to feel rested. One or two of every hundred Americans has sleep apnea - the potentially life-threatening inability to breathe steadily throughout the night. Less common but equally dangerous are conditions such as narcolepsy (excessive daytime sleepiness), involuntary muscle-jerking during sleep and sleepwalking.

Such conditions were not well understood until recently, but great strides have been made in unraveling the mysteries and learning how to treat these disorders.

Yes, most sleep disorders are treatable. If you have a sleep disorder, the MCG Sleep Disorders Center is here to help you.

• About the Center
• About the Staff

About the Center
The MCG Sleep Disorders Center offers comprehensive care for the full range of sleep disorders. Patients from Georgia, South Carolina and beyond come to MCG Health System to benefit from the experience and expertise of the only fully accredited sleep center in the region. The center has met all accreditation requirements of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). AASM accreditation signifies high standards of care for people with sleep disorders.
 
The MCG Sleep Disorders Center uses a multidisciplinary approach to patients by combining forces with adult and pediatric pulmonary medicine, adult and pediatric neurology, otolaryngology and other specialties to treat patients with sleep disorders with maximum effectiveness.

The center is located on the 4th floor of the MCG Children's Medical Center, a 154-bed fully accredited facility which is the leading referral center for Georgia and surrounding regions. Painless electrodes attached to the patient monitor brain activity, eye movement, heart rate and other physiologic functions while he sleeps. A technician in a nearby room observes the patient via video camera and charts his nocturnal activity.  After the patient is monitored, which usually is accomplished in one night, treatment begins, either by the patient's referring physician, or by a Sleep Center specialist if preferred.

About the Staff
The adult medical director, Dr. Amy Blanchard, is a diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine, in addition to being board-certified in pulmonary and critical care medicine. Her interests include sleep apnea syndrome, narcolepsy, and parasomnias.

Dr. Yong Park , is a diplomat of the American Board of Sleep Medicine and is a pediatric neurologist who specializes in neurologic sleep disorders and epilepsy.

Dr. Tom Dillard, board certified pulmonologists and diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine is also part of the team caring for patients of the Georgia Sleep Center.

Dr. David Terris of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, has vast experience in the surgical treatment of sleep-disordered breathing.

Dr. Ted Rippert of Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery and Dr. John Ivanhoe, Dental Prosthetics, complete the multidisciplinary team.

Mike Frentzel, RRT, the center's Technical Director, keeps all of the center's activities moving fluidly.

For more information about the Georgia Sleep Center at the Medical College of Georgia, or to make an appointment, please call 706-721-2273 or 800-736-2273.