SUMMERSIDE - Access to dialysis services has more than doubled in the Prince County area with the opening of a new dialysis centre at Prince County Hospital.

Health Minister Doug Currie officially opened the new facility Friday.  To find the new facility on Global Dialysis login and visit its page here.

"Our government recognizes that there is a growing number of Islanders who are requiring dialysis services here at home," the minister said. "With this new centre patients requiring this life-sustaining service will see improved access to timely dialysis care in a facility that is modern with appropriate acute care supporters nearby."

The new state-of-the-art dialysis centre was built with the capacity to provide services for up to 54 patients per week, more than twice the capacity of the previous facility that could accommodate 24.

The co-location of the centre at Prince County Hospital follows a growing national trend, providing the new centre with access to the hospital's diagnostic, support and emergency room services where needed for dialysis patients with complex medical and nursing care needs.

"The new centre will have an incredible impact on the quality of dialysis services we provide to patients from the Prince County area and other parts of the province," said Paula Caulier, manager of Prince County Home Care and Dialysis Services. "As a result of increased capacity, patients will receive dialysis appointments that are more convenient, consistent and better tailored to their care plan."

She said a patient will receive treatment at least three times a week, for up to four to six hours at a time, by specially retrained staff. Once started, the treatment is usually required for as long as the patient lives or until the receipt of a successful kidney transplant.

The increased square footage of the new dialysis centre conforms to current standards while incorporating additional space for support service delivery such as a training room and bio-medical room.

New technology such as a Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment System has been introduced and will improve the quality of water used in the filtration of waste from the blood, resulting in improved patient outcomes for those receiving hemodialysis, a specialized form of dialysis treatment.

Caulier said with rising rates of diabetes and heart disease, both contributing factors of kidney failure, the demand for dialysis services on Prince Edward Island is also expected to increase. Currently, there are 78 individuals receiving dialysis treatment across P.E.I.

A new provincial renal clinic and new hemodialysis centre are expected to open early this summer and will be co-located in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital's new Ambulatory Care Centre in Charlottetown.

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