Local hospital to spend $2.5M on improvements, including a new sleep clinic

People with sleeping problems will have a new clinic to check out, surgeons will have upgraded operating rooms and women will have a new place to give birth.

These improvements are all part of $2.5 million in projects underway at Touchette Regional Hospital in Centreville.

Renovation on two rooms for obstetric services and Caesarian-sections began earlier this year and this work is expected to be finished this month.

In July, remodeling work will begin on four operating rooms and this project is scheduled to be completed in late fall.

And a sleep clinic is scheduled to open for patients on July 1. This is the first sleep clinic to be offered by Touchette.

The latest improvements arrive in the wake of other renovations in recent years. A new $10 million Behavioral Health Center opened at the hospital in 2016 and before that, Touchette spent $4.6 million in renovations to the emergency room. Also, the front entrance of the hospital was renovated.

Sulbrena Day, the chief operating officer for Touchette, said the facility at 5900 Bond Ave. is considered a “small community hospital,” but Touchette strives to invest in projects that will help alleviate health care needs for residents throughout the region.

“What I want people to really know is that Touchette is here,” Day said. “We do provide a wide range of services.”

Touchette is known as a “safety net” hospital, which means most of the patients are on Medicaid. Operating as a safety net hospital represents the “true essence of our mission,” Day said.

In March, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation that ensures safety net hospitals such as Touchette will continue to receive payments for treating poor patients. Before lawmakers approved the plan, Touchette and other hospitals raised concerns about the need for the legislation so the state would continue to receive $3.5 billion in federal Medicaid dollars.

Sleep clinic

Touchette is teaming up with the Clayton Sleep Institute of Maplewood, Mo., for the new sleep clinic.

The sleep clinic will be used to diagnose and treat several disorders including sleep apnea, snoring, restless leg syndrome, insomnia, sleepwalking, narcolepsy, hypersomnia depression and drowsy driving.

Day said that Touchette has found there is a “great need for sleep services” in the area.

Touchette will offer the clinical sleep testing through provider referrals for adults 18 and older.

The clinic will have a control room surrounded by two rooms designed to get patients to relax.

“We’ll bring the comforts of home into each one of those rooms,” Day said.

The private rooms will have queen-size beds, flat screen televisions, a nightstand and a leather recliner.

For more information, go to www.touchette.org.

This story was originally published June 18, 2018 at 9:13 AM with the headline "Local hospital to spend $2.5M on improvements, including a new sleep clinic."