EXPANDED MOOSE JAW DIALYSIS UNIT DOUBLES CAPACITY

The Hemodialysis Unit at Moose Jaw Union Hospital has doubled its capacity starting today, allowing 17 patients who have been travelling to Regina for treatment to receive dialysis in Moose Jaw.  The unit will now be open six days a week, up from three days a week.

The province is providing $700,000 in annual funding for the expanded service.

“We are pleased to support the Five Hills Health Region in its expansion of dialysis services in Moose Jaw,” Health Minister Dustin Duncan said.  “This expansion means patients can receive dialysis closer to home.  This is another example of good things happening in Moose Jaw, as the health region gears up to begin construction on the new regional hospital.”

“I’m so excited about this, I can’t even find the words,” Moose Jaw resident Hardy Doerksen said.  “My daughter drives me to Regina twice a week for my dialysis and this will be so much more convenient for all of us.”

The Hemodialysis Unit will be open Monday to Saturday.  The change doubles the number of dialysis treatments that can be provided each week without the need for extra space or additional equipment.  New staff were trained by Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region’s Chronic Kidney Disease Program staff in recent weeks.

“Dialysis treatments can extend life and improve quality of life for persons suffering from kidney failure,” Five Hills Health Region Executive Director of Acute Care Laurie Albinet said.  “These treatments may be temporary until kidney function returns – or until a person receives a kidney transplant – or they may be lifelong.  We are so happy to be able to extend this service to all of the Five Hills Health clients currently on our waiting list.”

There are nine hemodialysis machines at the hospital, used to replicate the kidneys’ function of filtering toxins and impurities out of the blood stream.  Because dialysis is a lengthy blood filtering process, only two patients per day, per machine can be treated.

With a staff of more than 1,200 employees, and numerous affiliated health organizations, Five Hills Health Region serves about 54,000 people in south-central Saskatchewan from the south shore of Lake Diefenbaker to the United States border.

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For more information, contact:

Tyler McMurchy
Health
Regina
Phone: 306-787-4083 Kyle Matthies
Five Hills Health Region
Moose Jaw
Phone: 306-694-8721