Penn Highlands Healthcare Sleep Disorders Center Celebrates 30 Years

Penn Highlands Healthcare Sleep Disorders Center, located in DuBois, is celebrating 30 years of helping patients get quality, restorative sleep. The Sleep Disorders Center opened and began performing sleep disorders testing in March 1996.

Spearheaded by Angelo Illuzzi, DO, FCCP, D, ABSM, FAASM, Medical Director, Sleep Disorders Center, the sleep lab opened its doors to patients after two months of planning and staff training, with two beds on the second-floor patient ward. Since its founding, the sleep lab grew as demand for services increased — initially expanding to four beds and subsequently six beds.

“We celebrate our 30th anniversary with the knowledge that we have helped thousands of patients in our community and look forward to caring for many more,” said Joe McConnell, BS, RRT, Director of Respiratory, Sleep Disorders Center and Diagnostic Neurology, Penn Highlands DuBois and Penn Highlands Clearfield.

The Sleep Disorders Center, now located on the second floor of the DuBois Community Medical Building at 621 South Main Street in DuBois, diagnoses and treats sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea, central sleep apnea, complex sleep apnea, narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia, circadian rhythm disorders, parasomnias and sleep-related movement disorders. Testing includes diagnostic polysomnography; therapeutic polysomnography, including CPAP, BiPAP and advanced PAP therapies; multiple sleep latency testing; maintenance of wakefulness testing; home sleep apnea testing; and neuro stimulator (INSPIRE) device “fine tuning” polysomnography.

The sleep lab at DuBois has been accredited by the American Board of Sleep Medicine for more than 10 years. In addition to DuBois, Penn Highlands has sleep centers located in Huntingdon, Monongahela and St. Marys.

The sleep lab at Penn Highlands Elk performs diagnostic and therapeutic polysomnography and home sleep apnea testing. Penn Highlands sleep lab also offers home sleep testing at Penn Highlands facilities in Clearfield, Philipsburg, Clarion, Brookville and Punxsutawney.

For patients who are homebound or have transportation issues, home diagnostic testing for sleep apnea can be performed.

To learn more about the Sleep Center at Penn Highlands Healthcare, visit www.phhealthcare.org/sleep