10/12/24 SSM Health Dialysis Center Opening
12 October 2024 News
SSM Health, along with Beaver Dam Area Chamber of Commerce ambassadors and city leaders, celebrated the official opening of the new SSM Health Waupun Memorial Hospital Dialysis Center at 2100 Kellom Road Unit A in Beaver Dam, conveniently located off Highway 151.
A ribbon cutting celebration on October 10 welcomed Mike Wissell, City of Beaver Dam mayor; Nathan Thiel, City of Beaver Dam city administrator; Tracy Propst, Beaver Dam Area Chamber of Commerce executive director and ambassadors; and Ben Westra, WDS Construction president.
Jan Harmsen, SSM Health Waupun Market Council president was also on hand, along with William McVea, with SSM Health Wisconsin Facilities & Real Estate, and Bret Pasiuk, MD, a board-certified SSM Health Fond du Lac Regional Clinic nephrologist, who is seeing patients at the Beaver Dam facility.
“I am very pleased that SSM Health Dialysis Center has expanded its regional center here on Kellom Road in Beaver Dam,” according to Wissell. “This new easily accessible location provides a much-needed service to our area residents.”
The newly remodeled facility marks the conclusion of the one-year renovation project which brings together services previously offered in Beaver Dam and Waupun.
SSM Health Waupun Memorial Hospital has been offering outpatient dialysis services for patients who live with end-stage renal disease for more than 50 years. Dialysis is the process of removing excess water and toxins from the blood in people whose kidneys can no longer perform these functions naturally.
The demand for dialysis services has grown across the country due in part to an aging population who often experience a higher rate of kidney-related diseases. Diabetes is one of the leading causes of kidney failure and has dramatically increased in the United States. The National Institutes of Health estimates more than one in 10 Americans over the age of 20 suffers from diabetes.
“Throughout this entire process, our plans have focused on how we can continue to enhance our services, always keeping our patients as the top priority,” according to Amanda Hopp, SSM Health Dialysis manager. “We are so fortunate to have caring staff who are always looking for ways to provide the most positive experience possible for those we serve.”
The 7,900-square-foot facility features 16 patient care stations and one isolation station for high-risk patients. SSM Health Waupun Memorial Hospital has the capacity to treat up to 64 patients per week.
The new facility provides more patient care space; large windows in treatment area; more spacious lobby area for welcoming environment; enhanced parking; newer facilities equipment, such as heating and cooling, and water systems. It also features new treatment chairs with heat and massage functions thanks to the Agnesian HealthCare Foundation.
“We’re excited that this newer facility will help us continue to enhance our patients’ overall care experiences in a facility designed specifically for dialysis services,” according to Kyle Prochaska, SSM Health Wisconsin Planning, Design & Construction regional director. “Through our new design, our dialysis team has access to more efficient spaces, which will help them be as productive as possible. We also know that overall, we will operate in a more energy efficient building.”
WDS Construction served as general contractor for the $2.5 million project.
“We’re honored to have collaborated with SSM Health on the construction of the Beaver Dam Dialysis Center,” according to Ben Westra, WDS Construction president. “Our goal was to create a facility that not only meets the highest standards of care but also offers a welcoming, comfortable environment for patients and their families. Seeing this project come to life and knowing the positive impact it will have on the community is truly rewarding for our entire team.”
Depending upon their medical diagnosis, patients frequently have to spend up to four hours per day, three days a week connected to dialysis machines, which is why a clean, inviting facility and friendly caring staff of health professionals is important.
“We’re committed to providing comprehensive care to people living with chronic kidney disease so that our patients can lead fuller lives,” according to Diane Posthuma, SSM Health Wisconsin regional dialysis director. “Our focus has been to provide high-quality, convenient dialysis services locally, and this new location will bring state-of-the-art equipment and the highest quality care to those patients and families that we serve.”
Hans Henkel, a 56-year-old Mayville resident, has been a dialysis patient for the past 16 years with SSM Health, and has experienced care at all three previous locations, including Fond du Lac.
“The team here are great people,” Henkel says. “It feels like home. Waupun’s site was dark, which worked for me as a sleeper during my dialysis treatments, and Beaver Dam had a nice bank of windows. More space was needed at both locations, and this new space does just that.
“I’m getting to know many new faces,” Henkel adds. “One day we’ll all become friends, but right now, it’s kind of a new acquaintance. I’m getting over the first day of school jitters.”
To learn more about SSM Health Waupun Memorial Hospital Dialysis Center services, call 920-887-3376.
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