This week NYU Langone Sleep Disorder Center’s medical staff received the unsettling news that their jobs could be in jeopardy. Administrator for the Division of Pulmonary Care and Sleep Medicine Katie Schliessman delivered the news via letter to the remaining staff at the center.

The Langone Sleep Center Center treated conditions such as obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia and narcolepsy. The program included a five-bed sleep unit outfitted with state-of-the-art recording equipment for sleep studies. It also provided limited in-home and in-hospital monitoring to screen for sleep disorders and follow up with both adult and pediatric patients.

Lisa Greiner, the senior director of institutional communications at NYU Langone handled all media inquiries on the recent announcement. She explained the reasoning behind the sudden decision to close the Sleep Lab.

“The NYU Langone Medical Center Sleep Lab at Bellevue will close in early March, necessitated by the fact that the physicians overseeing the program have resigned from NYU Langone,” Greiner said.

Many of the physicians overseeing the program resigned and began work at Mount Sinai, including the director of Sleep Medicine, Anne Mooney. WSN reached out to the physicians who left Langone, but were referred back to Greiner.

Despite these resignations, Greiner addressed the plans for the remaining staff members after the dissolution of the program.

“We are working to find the remaining seven staff members roles within the Medical Center, and will help find referrals for patients,” Greiner said.

While patients are comforted that Langone will properly refer them, there are questions about the future of sleep medicine at NYU. Although the center is closing for the time being, NYU plans to partner with other departments to create a more comprehensive sleep center. Greiner ensures that NYU will open a new sleep treatment center through Langone in the coming months.

“Planning is currently underway for the creation of a comprehensive sleep center with the Departments of Neurology and Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine within NYU Langone,” Greiner said.

CAS junior Caroline Gianforte said the opportunity NYU’s new sleep center would provide to medical students in a variety of fields.

“It will be interesting to see what NYU comes up with in terms of creating a new sleep center. I think it’s a smart move incorporating the department of Neurology so that more med students can become involved,” Gianforte said.  

Email Kati Garrity at [email protected].