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LewisGale will finally open NICU > The Virginia Department of Health (VDH) has approved its Certificate of Public Need (COPN) for a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at LewisGale Medical Center in Salem, after seeking approval to provide intensive care unit level services to babies since 2011. “After 12 years of vigorously pursuing all possible avenues to secure approval to open a NICU at LewisGale Medical Center for the families and communities we serve, we are excited the Virginia Health Commissioner has approved our COPN application,” said Lance Jones, market president. The NICU will provide critical care to newborns who are ill or premature. “Opening a NICU is the latest example of our commitment to expanding our women’s and children’s services to meet the maternal and child needs of our growing community,” said John Harding, MD, an obstetrician/gynecologist at LewisGale Medical Center. Virginia Senator David Suetterlein (R-Roanoke County) wrote and carried the legislation that exempted a NICU at LewisGale from the COPN process; he long supported efforts to being a NICU to LewisGale, as has Senator John Edwards (D- Roanoke) other state and local legislators.
New sleep study center > LewisGale Physicians announced it has opened a new Sleep Center located on the LewisGale Medical Center Campus in Salem. The Sleep Center is a comprehensive, outpatient sleep program designed to diagnose and treat sleep disorders under the direction of board-certified pulmonologists and sleep medicine specialists. “We offer a comprehensive range of services and tests which will help us develop treatment plans for patients suffering from sleep disorders,” said Nelson Greene, MD, board-certified specialist in pulmonary diseases and critical care medicine. “There are a number of sleep disorders, with some of the most common being insomnia, sleep apnea, chronic fatigue, restless legs syndrome, sleep walking, night terrors, narcolepsy, and snoring.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates over 70 million Americans suffer from a sleep problem, with 8.1% of the U.S. population diagnosed with Submitted Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA).
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t FEBRUARY 2022 / vbFRONT.com
