DANVILLE — Because of a severe case of sleep apnea, Gabbie Hughes has seen her fair share of hospital rooms.

The 13-year-old Susquehanna County girl has grudgingly accepted the routine trips to the hospital as her second home, despite being surrounded by dull colors and sleeping in small beds.

“With all of the medical stuff she has to go through, it’s important for her not to be scared,” said her mother, Orianne Gibser, of Kingsely. “We’ve gotten used to it over the years. It’s what we must do in order to see that she gets better.”

For the most part, Gabbie’s days of discomfort are now over with the new location of Geisinger’s Sleep Disorder Center, which recently completed its move from Geisinger Medical Center to Woodbine Lane across from Geisinger Health Plan. The transition is part of Geisinger’s plan to export noncritical care services away from the busy medical center campus.

Instead of battling congested traffic and constant noise coming from LifeFlight helicopters landing and taking off, Gabbie and her mom have easier access to the sleep center and a more comfortable stay for treatment. Plus, Gabbie now has a much better outlook toward her routine trips to Montour County.

“I was expecting it would look like a hospital room,” Gabbie said of the new rooms, which feature a flat-screen television and larger bed, along with a hotel-style decor. “I have more room to sleep, which is nice. I also like how the bathroom is right here. It just feels more homey.”

With the move, the Sleep Disorder Center, 109 Woodbine Lane, has increased in size to accommodate a growth in patients, estimated at up to 2,400 a year. The center was able to handle up to 1,200 patients at the medical center.

Inside, the center has eight bedrooms, each equipped with a private bathroom and television. Patients also have access to a larger breakfast area, where they can use a refrigerator and microwave.

The center is open Sunday through Friday and features four sleep specialists and six sleep technicians. The center also dedicates two nights a month to study pediatrics, specifically children ages 4-18.

“We’ve been able to double our lab size and provide more comfort for our patients,” said Jane Wieand, supervisor of the sleep center. “We now have all of our equipment hidden, so the patients don’t feel as though they”re in a hospital. Every room has a shower, so patients can shower and go to work as they normally would at home.

“It’s all about convenience and sticking to their routine as best as possible.”n

Another improvement, according to Wieand, is the two new exam rooms where sleep specialists can now see patients who don't have to stay overnight in the afternoon.

Dr. Andrew Matragrano, director of the sleep center, says the new location better accommodates the growing patient demand. When the center opened in 1984 at the medical center, Dr. Matragrano said there were only two rooms to evaluate patients.

Sleep specialists now have five-times the rooms to use for treating cases of insomnia, diseases of the sleep mechanism (such as narcolepsy), and the most common disorder — sleep apnea.

Dr. Matragrano says the new site has been a blessing but there is always room to grow.