For Mac Dickson, a shiny new state-of-the-art dialysis clinic is just what the doctor ordered.
Speaking while hooked up to one of the lifesaving machines as he's done hundreds of times over the past 30 years, the 71-year-old Midland resident had plenty of praise for the recently opened Midland dialysis centre, which replaces an aging clinic at Georgian Bay General Hospital’s Penetanguishene site.
“You’re here for such a substantial amount of time so this is much better than the old one,” says Dickson, who suffers from IgA nephropathy, also known as Berger's disease.
Dickson is one of close to 45 patients who've been regularly visiting the new Georgian Bay General Hospital (GBGH) clinic since it opened last month.
Located on Prospect Blvd., the bright, modern clinic features nine dialysis stations and welcomes patients Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“This place has a consistent environment and is state-of-the-art,” he says, noting the temperature at the older Penetanguishene clinic resulted in patients being either too hot or too cold. “The heat couldn’t be regulated.”
And ensuring a comfortable environment is especially important for local residents like Dickson, who must attend the clinic for four-hour sessions, three times a week.
Without the life-saving dialysis to combat his autoimmune disease, Dickson imagines he would have passed on years ago.
“It’s quite a gift to have life,” he says with a gentle smile.
During an official opening ceremony Friday, GBGH president and CEO Gail Hunt says moving the service from Penetanguishene to Midland was a four-year process when Ministry of Health approvals and construction are factored into the equation.
But Hunt said the actual move from Penetanguishene to Midland took just 36 hours thanks to a “village of people who made this opening in February possible.”
According to Hunt, patients were consulted throughout the process to get their input on what the new site should look like and feature.
“To enhance the patient experience, we wanted a bright and modern space given the daily challenges of kidney disease,” says Hunt, who noted Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop also helped a great deal in ensuring the project came to fruition.
Dunlop, who meets monthly with Hunt, says that she was a “bit of a squeaky wheel” to the provincial ministry to ensure the project went ahead.
“Dialysis is a life-sustaining treatment that doesn’t need to be done in a hospital,” says Dunlop, who points out the province provided a $2.4-million investment.
The dialysis unit at GBGH, a satellite of the Regional Kidney Care Program of Simcoe Muskoka, completes nearly 6,300 visits each year.
The new space includes private treatment spaces for each patient, something not available in the previous site, as well as additional room to increase from the current nine dialysis stations up to 12 if needed in the future.
There is also a nutrition room where patients are able to eat before starting their treatment. Also included in the new space are examination rooms, a waiting room, technical and mechanical rooms, medication room and dedicated staff areas.
Midland Mayor Stewart Strathearn says the new 8,000-square-foot facility provides “the people of Midland, Penetanguishene, Tay, Tiny and Christian Island with a modern, bright and uplifting space to have their dialysis treatment.”
Christian Island resident Sylvia Norton of Christian has been a patient receiving dialysis through GBGH for the past two years.
“I was a little bit nervous for this change, but after being in the new space I can say it is a true blessing,” says Norton. “It is much more spacious, bright and private. I am very grateful to the team who made this move so seamless for us as patients.”
