8-station dialysis clinic opens at St. Joseph's

With an eye on the increasing number of people experiencing kidney failure, St. Joseph's Hospital on Wednesday officially opened an eight-station, 3,300-square-foot dialysis clinic that can treat up to 16 kidney patients a day.

The opening of the clinic coincides with the observance of the hospital's founding 100 years ago, and Sister Marie Castagnaro, president and CEO of St. Joseph's, said the founding sisters would be pleased to see the new service opening on the historic date.

"This dedication is a lesson in creativity and stubbornness," she said. "The credit has to go to those who worked through the paperwork and the politics to put it all together."

Dialysis is a medical process that filters the blood of a person whose kidneys can no longer perform the function. The risk factors associated with kidney failure include diabetes, hypertension and obesity, said Lisa Perry, the new unit's director.

The unit will be staffed by four registered nurses, two licensed practical nurses and two patient care technicians.

St. Joseph's has been providing dialysis treatments for patients who are already in the hospital since 2005. The new clinic, providing the same services on an outpatient basis, began treating patients on Sept. 10, she said.

Perry was hired by St. Joseph's in 2004 to oversee the clinic's administrative duties. Dr. Luis Tapia and Dr. Fadi Hijazi are in charge of the clinical side of the unit.

Perry said the biggest challenge for creating the new unit was obtaining the state Health Department's approval. There were several times during the process when hospital administrators thought they'd reached the end of the approval process, only to discover there were new requirements that had to be fulfilled, she said.

State approval was finally granted in March.

Castagnaro said 10 patients are in line to be treated in the new clinic, and two have already begun treatments. When the 16-patient capacity is reached, the hospital will seek approval to add dialysis machines.

The state Health Department will allow St. Joseph's to add another eight machines, which will boost the unit's capacity to 96 treatments a week.

Dialysis patients usually require three treatments a week.

Castagnaro also said that with the increasing senior citizen population in the area, opening the outpatient dialysis clinic made sense for the hospital.

"Our clinic will improve access for the many dialysis patients who wish to be dialyzed during the daytime, while at the same time enhancing the quality and continuity of patient care in our community," she said in a prepared statement.