Gaylord Sleep Medicine, a service provided by Gaylord Hospital in Wallingford, currently operates four sleep centers in Connecticut, including one at the Marriott Hotel in Trumbull.

“This joint initiative between a well-recognized regional center for health care and the state’s largest accredited provider of sleep medicine services assures that the highest quality and most comprehensive diagnostic and treatment will be available locally,” said James Cullen, Gaylord Hospital president and chief executive officer. “Gaylord Sleep Medicine is accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, which is considered the gold standard by which the medical community and the public can evaluate a sleep center’s services.”

As the national accrediting body for sleep disorders centers and laboratories, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) issues standards of care for sleep medicine providers. Accredited sleep centers, such as Gaylord, must display and maintain proficiency in areas such as testing procedures and policies, patient safety and follow-up, and physician and staff training. Not all sleep centers or labs are accredited by the AASM.

Under the agreement with St Vincent’s Medical Center, Gaylord Sleep Medicine will make its pediatric and adult sleep medicine services available to patients in the greater Bridgeport area. Services include sleep medicine physician consultations, sleep laboratory testing, cognitive behavioral program for insomnia, therapeutic clinic services, and bariatric sleep medicine program.

Under the affiliation, Gaylord Sleep Medicine will assume the lease agreement for St Vincent’s current four-bed sleep center located at St Vincent’s 2720 Main Street. Gaylord plans to provide physician services as well as insomnia clinic services at the location.

“The affiliation will also heighten awareness of sleep disorders among physicians and other health professionals as well as the community,” said Debra Ann Pollack, MD, medical director, Gaylord Sleep Medicine. Various programs are in development, such as educational lectures to physicians at St Vincent’s as well as a sleep fellowship program.

Gaylord Sleep Medicine is the state’s largest provider of sleep medicine services with a total of 26 beds. Accredited by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Gaylord Sleep Medicine operates sleep centers in Trumbull, Glastonbury, Guilford, and North Haven. Services include physician evaluation and diagnosis of sleep disorders, sleep testing, and treatment.