[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 51 (Wednesday, April 14, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     TRIBUTE TO THE KATHRYN SEVERYNS DEMENT SLEEP DISORDERS CENTER

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                     HON. GEORGE R. NETHERCUTT, JR.

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 14, 1999

  Mr. NETHERCUTT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the 
Kathryn Severyns Dement Sleep Disorders Center located in Walla Walla, 
Washington. I was very pleased to visit the sleep clinic and recently 
had the honor of accepting an award on behalf of Walla Walla, 
Washington being recognized as the Healthy Sleep Capital of the Nation.
  The Walla Walla sleep center is the result of Dr. William C. Dement's 
efforts to educate others on sleep awareness and its disorders. Dr. 
Dement is a Walla Walla native and sleep medicine pioneer. He is the 
director of the Stanford University Sleep Research and Clinical 
Programs, and was the founding President of the American Sleep 
Disorders Association. Dr. Dement, along with Dr. Richard Simon, Jr., 
director of the sleep center, and doctors Michael Bernstein, Jennings 
Falcon, and Eric Ball have all made sleep problems a fundamental focus 
of their medical practices. These doctors have become experts in the 
field of sleep disorders and lead the world in sleep disorder 
treatment.
  Most people do not realize the seriousness or extent of the sleep 
disorders problem. Statistics show that between 50 and 100 million 
people in the United States have diagnosable sleep disorders. This is 
not just limited to adults, sleep disorders affect people of all ages. 
These disorders are severely underdiagnosed in children. The National 
Transportation Safety Board points to chronic sleep deprivation as 
being the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal heavy truck accidents. 
The estimated annual cost of untreated sleep disorders due to 
preventable morbidity and accidents is $100 billion.
  The work the Walla Walla sleep center has done in treating and 
diagnosing sleep disorders is unparalleled. Compared to doctors from 
outlying areas, Walla Walla doctors are referring as many as six times 
the number of patients for sleep disorders treatment. This is mostly 
due to the training these doctors have received. Prior to sleep 
disorder training, a survey of more than 750 patient charts found that 
just six patients mentioned having problems sleeping, and of those, two 
patients were diagnosed with disorders. One year after the training, 
130 to 140 people were diagnosed with sleep apnea, a treatable disorder 
where the sleeper repeatedly stops breathing for an instant. Between 
1994 and 1998, the center saw 1,421 new patients and performed 1,711 
sleep studies.
  The doctors at the Walla Walla sleep center continue to make advances 
in sleep study research. They are responsible for training physicians 
throughout the area and have helped two other hospitals start sleep 
centers. They are also currently working with Stanford University to 
apply for a grant to determine whether mild sleep apnea should be 
treated. Everyone at the Walla Walla sleep center deserves to be 
recognized for their hard work and commitment to the silent epidemic of 
sleep disorders. Thanks to them, this serious problem is not going 
unnoticed, and their efforts will save lives.

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