Article Contributed on: 6/8/2009 9:58:43 AM
To meet the need of the growing number of kidney patients, a dialysis center has opened in Castle Rock, the first of its kind in the area.
Liberty Dialysis, 4352 Trail Boss Drive, celebrated its grand opening June 4. The company chose Castle Rock for its newest center because of the unmet patient need, said Ben Croce, executive vice president of Liberty Dialysis.
The company identified about 50 patients within eight miles of Castle Rock who require dialysis, and, until now, had to travel to south Denver or Colorado Springs for treatment, Croce said.
"This is an incredible burden on families and patients," he said.
Dialysis is a treatment to replace the filtering function of the kidneys when they are no longercleaning the blood properly. Itis a four-hourprocess three times a week. Often, the person undergoing treatment is too ill to drive themselves, so they are accompanied by a family member.
Town council member Joe Procopio, who attended the grand opening, said the center will serve the the town's growing population.
"Now patients can avoid the long communte to get their necessary treatment," he said.
The number of people with kidney disease is rising rapidly due to factors such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease, said Dr. Jesse Flaxenburg, a nephrologist with Pikes Peak Nephrology in Colorado Springs. Nephrologists are doctors who specialize in kidney health.
He said at his center, he has seen a 5 to 10 percent increase per year on the number of patients who require dialysis.
"The nice thing about Liberty is that it is a top-notch facility, but it feels like someone's living room," Flaxenburg said.
Liberty Dialysis has heated massage chairs so patients stay warm and comfortable, free wi-fi and personal flat-screen TVs. The facility is decorated with nature-inspired artwork and was designed to offer mountain views.
Another priority for Liberty is prevention and education, said Christine Loffert, clinical manager at the Castle Rock location. Sixty-eight percent of dialysis patients have hypertension or diabetes, so the center has a dietitian on staff to work with patients on lifestyle changes and offers free educational classes and health screenings to the community.
The center is open all nephrologists, so patients do not have to change doctors to receive treatment. Liberty also accepts Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance, and can work with the uninsured and underinsured, said Croce.
"We take pride in a sense of openness to all physicians and all patients," he said.