March 13, 2024
Service expansion enables patients to access treatment six days a week
LAC LA BICHE – More local patients with chronic kidney disease can access dialysis at the William J. Cadzow – Lac La Biche Healthcare Centre as the satellite hemodialysis unit is now open six days a week, up from three days a week, providing additional appointment times.
The new operating hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6:30 a.m. to 6:45 p.m., and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 6:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
With expanded hours of operation, AHS will be able to provide care to six additional patients from Lac La Biche and surrounding area.
“I’m very pleased more patients from the Lac La Biche area will be able access to critical kidney care within their community,” says Adriana LaGrange, Alberta’s Minister of Health. “Thank you to Alberta Health Services and all the staff involved for expanding the hours of the dialysis clinic and being so responsive to local needs. This work strengthens our public health system and puts the needs of patients front and centre.”
“I’m grateful our local care teams have found a way to expand dialysis services in Lac La Biche,” adds Brian Jean, MLA for Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche. “It’s good to know more local residents who require dialysis treatments can undergo the procedure right here in our community.”
Hemodialysis is the process of cleansing the blood of toxins and excess fluid when kidney function is severely reduced. A patient’s blood is filtered through a dialyzer and returned to the body. Hemodialysis treatments usually take four hours, three times a week.
“We know that travelling for medical needs can be a burden to patients and their families. Receiving treatment close to home helps decrease the burden of travel and improves quality of life for our patients,” says Tracy Delorme, interim executive director of Alberta Kidney Care - North. “We are very grateful to all involved in making this expansion of capacity in North Zone possible.”
Patient Jackie Huppie, whose treatments will shift from St. Paul to Lac La Biche, says she is “beyond grateful” for the expanded local hours. “Right now, it takes me about an hour and a half to get to treatment, or longer, depending on road conditions,” she says. “Plus receiving treatment for four to five hours. It makes for such a long day but soon my drive time will only be 10 minutes.”
Last month’s expansion of dialysis services at the Wetaskiwin Hospital in Central Zone to seven days a week is another example of how dialysis services are expanding provincewide to serve more patients.
Alberta Kidney Care-North provides assessment, treatment, and follow-up for people with kidney problems in a geographical area that includes central and northern Alberta, where more than 182,000 facility-based hemodialysis treatments were delivered last year.
The program also provides other treatments for kidney failure, including peritoneal dialysis, home hemodialysis and conservative care.
An aging population, rising diabetes rates leading to renal failure, and patients living longer on dialysis due to medical advancements are all factors contributing to increased demand for dialysis across the province.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Our mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans. Our current focus is on reducing emergency department wait times, improving EMS response times, increasing access to surgeries, and improving patient flow.
