NHCC ANNOUNCES OPENING OF STATE-OF-THE ART 29-STATION RENAL DIALYSIS UNIT AT THE A. HOLLY PATTERSON EXTENDED CARE FACILITY
September 9, 2009
Contact: Shelley Lotenberg
(516) 572-6055
shelley@numc.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
MODERN, ENHANCED DIALYSIS UNIT WITH ALL BRAND NEW EQUIPMENT, IS ANOTHER STEP IN MODERNIZING NHCC TO BETTER SERVE OUR COMMUNITY
East Meadow, NY……Arthur A. Gianelli, President/CEO of the Nassau Health Care Corporation (NHCC), announced the opening of a 29-station renal dialysis unit at the A. Holly Patterson Extended Care Facility (AHP) site in Uniondale, where hemodialysis services will be performed on an outpatient basis with 696 treatments provided per week for a total of 232 patients, six days a week, Monday to Saturday, each patient three times a week during the hours of 7 AM to 11 PM.
“Relocating a 14-station unit previously located at the Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC) into a modern, state-of-the-art and expanded 29 station unit with all brand new equipment and a most sophisticated reverse osmosis system for water purification is another step in modernizing NHCC to better serve our community,” stated Gianelli. “It is anticipated that the more spacious and renovated unit at AHP will be a temporary site, pending our development partner building a new dialysis center on the AHP campus in a few years.”
According to Leah Balsam, MD, chief of the nephrology division at NUMC, “The experienced and knowledgeable staff currently operating the NUMC dialysis unit will be relocated along with the new AHP dialysis unit for continuity of care.”
“The NHCC has received approval from the New York state Department of Health to expand from 14 stations to 29 stations, creating ready access to a much needed service within the nursing facility for both county residents as well as the community in which it is located,” added Gianelli.
Locating this service at AHP would clearly alleviate long waits for beds as well as reduce excess lengths of stay at the acute care level. Moreover, location of this service on the AHP campus will permit the provision of dialysis services to ventilator-dependent residents of AHP, which has been a long-identified critical service need for this resident population. Currently, AHP residents requiring dialysis must be transported on average three times per week to NUMC and other sites. The clinic will serve these and other residents of the nursing facility as well as the general service area population, thereby increasing access to the community, as well. Finally, it is anticipated that the availability of dialysis services at AHP will also result in an increase in the number of high acuity patients admitted to the nursing facility. This, in turn, will likely impact demand for services at NUMC, thereby creating a positive impact system wide.
Dialysis replaces some of the functions for kidneys that aren’t working properly. Dialysis is a method of removing toxic substances (impurities or wastes) from the blood when the kidneys are unable to do so. These contaminants eventually would, if not removed, lead to death. In addition, excess fluid is removed. Blood is diverted from the access point in the body to a dialysis machine where the blood is filtered and the blood is then returned to the body. Typically, most patients undergo hemodialysis for three sessions every week. Each session lasts 3-4 hours. For additional information on the dialysis center at AHP, please call 516-572-1800.