Restoring Sleep
We are pleased to announce our new treatment program Restoring Sleep. This program has been created to broaden the scope of services provided to residents of women’s shelters to include treatment of sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), insomnia and snoring. As you know for over a decade we have had a long-standing relationship with the shelter system in the GTA providing pro-bono, safe, and trauma sensitive treatment for dental, oral and facial reconstructive procedures through our Restoring Smiles project to women living in shelters.
As part of our Restoring Sleep project, Dr. Borna Meisami Commemorative Foundation will be providing pro-bono treatment for individuals who are diagnosed with OSA. We have partnered with sleep physicians and dentists in the GTA that have been recruited specifically to provide this treatment.
As you know public health research has consistently shown that disadvantaged individuals, such as those currently experiencing homelessness, face a higher prevalence of chronic diseases. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is one such disease. It is a condition in which an individual’s breathing involuntarily stops or is diminished for brief periods of time during sleep. This has a very significant impact on the individual’s overall physical and mental health. Patients with OSA have an increased risk of hypertension, stroke, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Patients with OSA also have an increased risk of mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. Lack of restorative sleep that is experienced by OSA patients also negatively impacts the individuals’ cognitive functions at work, in school, and within their social interactions and relationships.
In addition to the current under-diagnosis of OSA in people experiencing homelessness, access to this form of care may not be financially feasible as it falls outside the Ministry of Health coverage. For this reason, we have made it our goal to broaden the scope of donated healthcare services through instituting the Dr. Borna Meisami Commemorative Foundation’s Restoring Sleep project to improve the lives of women who have survived gender based violence.