HRMC Begins Construction on Dialysis Expansion
December 30, 2022
Huron Regional Medical Center recently began construction on a $2.45 million dialysis project to expand local access to the vital service. The project will relocate HRMC dialysis to an easy-to-access, one-level treatment unit at 142 Third Street SE when complete.
Construction crews began demolition of the interior last week, including digging trenches in the floor of the building to house piping for the water system. Interior framing is expected to occur in January with project completion anticipated in the summer.
HRMC board of directors’ construction committee chairman, David McGirr, has overseen several construction projects during his board tenure and is eager for the dialysis expansion, “The new location will provide more convenient access for dialysis patients, who receive treatment three times per week,” says McGirr. “Ease of access, capacity to serve the needs of the community and a sophisticated water system were priorities of the planning committee.”
The renovated unit will house twelve treatment chairs, increasing the capacity for providing the service locally as the current unit houses seven chairs. The new unit will also feature a water system with an automatic backup to ensure that dialysis can continue locally if part of the system fails. If the current system fails, dialysis patients must travel out of town for treatments until repairs are made.
During dialysis, a machine takes over the responsibility of filtering waste from the blood, which is a life-saving treatment for people with damaged kidneys. Those living with kidney disease are at risk for serious complications including heart disease, damage to the central nervous system and an increased risk of infection due to compromised immune function.
Robert Hohm, MD, internal medicine physician, was integral in the inception of dialysis at HRMC in 1980 and has helped to ensure the service has remained available in Huron. “Patients either dialyze in their hometown, or they have to travel. There is no substitute for dialysis treatments,” says Hohm, who is chairman of a special capital campaign committee of the HRMC Foundation to raise $2.45 million to support the project.
If you have questions about dialysis services, please call Jennifer Jungemann, HRMC director of dialysis at 605-353-6308. If you are interested in supporting the HRMC Foundation’s dialysis endowment or capital campaign for renovation and expansion, please contact the HRMC Foundation at 605-353-6315 or foundation@huronregional.org.
Photo cutline: Construction crews have begun renovations on the building at 142 Third St. SE, which will house HRMC dialysis services.
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