Sleep Disorders Center at Miller Childrens Hospital Receives Program Accreditation

LONG BEACH, Calif., Dec. 2, 2008 – The Miller Children’s Hospital Sleep Disorders Center has received program accreditation from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM). The Miller Children’s Hospital Sleep Disorder Center provides clinical service, sleep evaluations and treatment for children from birth through adolescence.

“We are proud to have met the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s high standards to receive accreditation as a sleep disorders center,” says Gary S. Feldman, M.D., medical director, Miller Children’s Hospital Sleep Disorders Center. “The center is a significant resource to the local medical community and provides academic and scientific value in addition to the highest quality care for patients suffering from sleep disorders.”

Sleep disorders are common in children and often under diagnosed. Nearly 70 percent of children 10 and under experience some type of sleep problem, according to the National Sleep Foundation. The most common sleep disorders in children include behavioral sleep disorders such as sleep-onset association disorders and problems with limit-setting; rhythm disorders such as delayed sleep phase syndrome; sleep apnea; narcolepsy; parasomnia such as night terrors; sleepwalking; and bedwetting.

To receive a five-year accreditation, a sleep center must meet or exceed all standards for professional health care as designated by the AASM. The accreditation process involves detailed inspection of a center’s facility and staff, including an evaluation of testing procedures, patient contacts, and physician training. Additionally, the facility’s goals must be clearly stated and include plans for positively affecting the quality of medical care in the community it serves.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine is a professional medical society for clinicians, researchers, and other health care providers. AASM accredits more than 1,500 sleep medicine centers and laboratories across the country.

The Sleep Disorders Center is part of Miller Children’s Hospital (MCH). Located on the campus of Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, MCH is a full-service hospital providing care for children of all ages, as well as expectant mothers. The hospital offers pediatric programs for virtually any medical condition and is home to the MemorialCare Center for Women, which has consistently been cited as one of the safest places to have a baby and offers services for women at all stages of life.

Contact the Miller Children’s Hospital Sleep Disorders Center at (562) 424-4815.

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