BOARDMAN, Ohio – With the feel of a high-end spa or hotel, the new Mercy Health Boardman Sleep Medicine Center is ready to welcome patients Monday.
St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital hosted a blessing and open house for its new Sleep Medicine Center at 120 Marwood Circle on Friday.
The new comprehensive center includes state-of-the-art technology and eight beds, an expansion from the six beds at the previous location on Trailwood.
“Here in the U.S. they say there are 30 million individuals who suffer from sleep apnea, and 80 to 90% of them don’t even know they have it,” said Genie Aubel, president of St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital.
She said sleep apnea can lead to myriad health issues including cardiovascular, neurological and pulmonary disorders.
“People don’t recognize it, but truly an untreated sleep condition, particularly sleep apnea, can cause devastating impacts to your health,” said Robert Porter, director of diagnostic sleep centers for Mercy Health – Lorain and Youngstown. “Every system in the body can essentially be impacted by that, so taking proper precautions and having proper testing could be life-saving.”
With more attention on sleep apnea, Mercy Health’s sleep center has seen a 21% increase in demand from 2024 to 2025.
“We look for voids in the health care system and we try to fill them,” Dr. John Luellen, Mercy Health state president for Ohio, said of the decision to create the new sleep center. “It’s a different way of doing business, but it served us well now for more than 100 years and we’re happy to be here and happy to serve.”
The reception area is reminiscent of a hotel’s front desk where, Porter said, patients are greeted by the front desk secretary who explains the procedure and checks them in. Then a technician will come out, greet the patient and take them down the hallway to go over everything in detail, get them set up and comfortable so the monitoring can begin.
The hallway in relaxing blues and grays leads to hotel-like rooms, not with medical beds, but large adjustable mattresses, a comfortable chair, flat-screen TVs, soundproofing and a bathroom with high-end finishes.
“We wanted to create a calming and tranquil environment so that people would alleviate their anxieties and make it a better testing environment,” Aubel said. “It would facilitate optimal testing for the patients because they’ve been relaxed and able to sleep. And so we’ve created what we feel is a spa-like nature to the facility.”
The testing includes not just tracking various stages of sleep and interruptions but also abnormalities in breathing, muscle activity and heart rate.
Additionally, the Sleep Medicine Center goes beyond testing. It is a one-stop shop where someone can come for diagnosis, consultations and even get medical equipment.
Dr. Joseph Cataline, medical director of the Mercy Health Boardman Sleep Medicine Center, is a board certified physician leading a team of nurse practitioners, polysonographers, nurses, respiratory technicians, aides, clerical support and those who provide medical devices. The center, which Aubel said is the largest sleep medicine facility in the area, will employ 20 people.
Megan Grandy, director of the sleep clinical side, said the consultation side of the Sleep Medicine Center is for consulting with the doctor or nurses, getting recommendations for testing or going over exam results. And if someone needs durable medical equipment, like a CPAP, it can be obtained there, possibly the same day, depending on availability.
“With everything housed under one roof, there’s increased opportunity for collaboration between the care team,” Aubel said. “If there’s a question, they can run right over to the doctor and he’s right here. And if he has a question on a study, he can run right over and talk to the techs. We’re all here.”
Porter said if something more severe requires immediate attention, having the techs and doctor in-house can help that conversation happen much faster.
Pictured at top: From left are Dr. John Luellen, Mercy Health state president for Ohio; Jim Armour, vice president of mission integration; Megan Grandy, director of the sleep clinic; Robert Porter, director of diagnostic sleep centers for Mercy Health – Lorain and Youngstown; Genie Aubel, president of St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital; and Martin Tursky, chief operating officer of Mercy Health – Lorain and Youngstown.