Kaiser Permanente Hawaii held a blessing ceremony Friday to mark the opening of its Sleep Center at Pearlridge Shopping Center.

The 6,300-square-foot facility, at the former Kaiser Pearlridge clinic, will conduct in-lab and at-home sleep studies to diagnose and treat sleep disorders such as sleep apnea.

The Sleep Center was established at Moanalua Medical Center 15 years ago and became the first lab in the state to test for sleep conditions through at-home monitoring in 2009. With its relocation to Pearlridge, the new facility will have expanded in-lab and at-home testing capability and is expected to evaluate and help manage 3,300 patients annually.

“Undiagnosed sleep disorders can prevent the body from getting much-needed restorative sleep which can impact an individual’s total health,” said Dr. Janet Myers, a Kaiser pulmonologist and medical director of the Sleep Center. “Sleep apnea, one of the most common sleep disorders, is associated with numerous medical problems, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and even cancer. The new Sleep Center has greater capacity, with growing home sleep study capability, and state-of-the-art equipment that enable us to help even more patients with sleep apnea and other sleep conditions, which are unfortunately common among Hawaii residents.”