New dialysis unit opens at Valley Regional Hospital
Annapolis Valley dialysis patients are now receiving treatment at a new clinic in Kentville.
The provincial government announced that two new dialysis units are now open to serve patients in Digby, Kings and Annapolis counties, reducing travel time and relieving pressure at other dialysis centres.
Nova Scotia Health’s Renal Program opened a 12-station unit at the Valley Regional Hospital in Kentville on March 29.
That follows the opening of a six-station unit at the Digby General Hospital on March 15.
“Providing closer access to dialysis is a top priority for this government. We know that many Nova Scotians have to drive several hours multiple days a week to receive this vital treatment,” said Health and Wellness Minister Zach Churchill in a press release. “Over the last few years, we have been working hard to build and expand dialysis units across the province to help lessen the stress on those clients and improve the quality of care that Nova Scotians deserve.”
Previously, many dialysis patients in the Annapolis Valley would need to travel to the Western Kings Memorial Health Centre in Berwick for treatment. Others may have had to travel to Halifax if they had more complex health issues.
Dialysis is a process where patients without fully functioning kidneys use specialized equipment to remove waste, salt and extra water from their blood.
“Hemodialysis treatments are usually four hours, three times a week, not including travel time,” said Dr. Steven Soroka, a senior medical director with Nova Scotia Health’s Renal Program and Pharmacy Services, in a prepared statement.
“Therefore, having hemodialysis facilities with reasonable travel distances has been a priority of the Nova Scotia Health Renal Program and the government,” he said. “The expansion and relocation of the hemodialysis unit to the Valley Regional Hospital has been a priority for a number of years. It is a wonderful day to see this unit opening to provide care to Nova Scotians in this part of the province.”
The new 12-station unit in Kentville replaces the six-station unit in Berwick and will serve twice as many patients.
The provincial government invested $10 million in the unit’s construction and has hired additional staff.
The new unit in Digby means most patients between Bridgetown and Meteghan who previously had to travel to Yarmouth for dialysis will be able to receive it at the Digby General Hospital. The government invested $6 million in that unit’s construction and also hired additional staff.
Construction on both units began in 2018.