The opening of a satellite hemodialysis unit at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre (WRC) is easing life for residents requiring the treatment and relieving the pressure on the Regina General Hospital's dialysis unit.

Six dialysis machines began operating at the WRC on Nov. 21, said Sharon Garratt with the Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region (RQHR).

"The goal was to support the residents living at Wascana, but there's also other people on dialysis that come in from the community," Garratt said.

Besides serving seven WRC patients who need dialysis, the new unit provides treatment for about 20 residents from other long-term care facilities, such as Pioneer Village. Until recently, the 43 dialysis stations at the General treated about 225 patients from southern Saskatchewan, including some WRC residents who required dialysis three times a week.

"Most of them were transported by paratransit to the General for that treatment," Garratt said. "Now they can go down from their room to the unit and have their dialysis. In winter or in inclement weather, they don't have to get all dressed up to go outside."

Typically, dialysis treatments take 3½ hours - not including the time it takes to transport WRC patients to the General Hospital.

"For a number of people, it makes the treatments not quite as tiring because there's not so much involved in getting the treatment," Garratt said.

Over time, more people have required dialysis at the General, she said. With the satellite unit located on the main level of the WRC, there is additional space to expand the unit if demand for the treatment continues to grow.

The satellite unit treated some patients from the General when services were disrupted there because of a recurring ammonia-like odour that resulted in some patients and staff feeling ill. The smell was first identified on the unit in July. Despite steps taken by the region to eradicate the odour the unit had to close in September and in October. Experts were called in to investigate the intermittent odour. The investigation did not definitively identify the source of the odour, but recommendations were made that included improving the unit's air flow.

While renovations were underway, areas in the main dialysis unit had to be vacant so patients were moved to other areas of the General and to the WRC. The General's dialysis unit became fully operational on Feb. 15.

"They did tests after the unit was fully occupied and those results were all fine," Garratt said.

The WRC unit does two dialysis runs Monday to Saturday and three dialysis runs are done daily at the General except on Sunday. The satellite unit cost about $1 million, with funding coming from the Ministry of Health and the Hospitals of Regina Foundation.

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