By By ERIN VER BERKMOES / Niles Daily Star
NILES - Lakeland's new health center will allow residents to receive treatment closer to home.
Lakeland Regional Health System recently announced the opening of the Lakeland Dialysis, Niles. The outpatient dialysis center being located in Niles means that patients who live in the area are now able to receive their dialysis treatment close to home in a comfortable healing environment.
End stage renal disease, or ESRD is the most common condition which causes people to need dialysis.
This is caused when the kidneys stop functioning properly and impurities that normally would be eliminated by healthy kidneys build up in the blood stream. ESRD is currently at an epidemic level in the United States, due to the increase in diabetes and hypertension, which are two leading causes of ESRD.
Patients with renal failure general have to receive between four and five hours of dialysis treatment at least three times per week.
The process can be tiring and time consuming, and providing treatment close to home can make a significant impact on the patients lives.
The number of people who have ESRD is approximately 380,000, with that number expected to double by the year 2010.
The new dialysis center is 8,700 square feet, with 24 stations, and one isolation station. The unit will be able to accommodate patients that hat been on the waiting list and provide permanent stations for patients needing a consistent dialysis schedule.
The center will also be able to provide excellent care for out-of-town patients, who are in need of dialysis treatment.
For the first month of operation the center will only be able to serve private-pay patients. Additional patients will have the opportunity to have their care transferred to the unit once it is certified for Medicare reimbursement.
The Lakeland Dialysis Center is located in the Longmeadow development, located just off Niles-Buchanan Road, just east of the US 31 Bypass. They can be reached at (269) 684-0116.