Dialysis clinic finds home on the Ridge

Published 12:44 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008

SNOQUALMIE – John Derrig knows the helpless feeling and denial the first few months of kidney dialysis treatment can bring.

The longtime dialysis patient said the 4-hour process of sitting in a chair while a machine cleans your blood because your kidneys no longer can compounds those feelings, but having to drive a long distance to seek treatment makes the situation worse.

So when the Northwest Kidney Centers opened its 12th dialysis center in Washington in the Snoqualmie Ridge Business Park, local patients who previously had to drive to Seattle or the Eastside for treatment not only received a dose of convenience, it also helped relieve a portion of the stress those new to dialysis might feel.

“If you have to dialyze, you’ve found the place,” said Derrig, a Bellevue resident.

Opened in January, the Snoqualmie Ridge Kidney Center now serves 20 patients and has the capacity to treat 54 people. Nine dialysis stations, complete with cushy recliners and television sets, line the first-story office, which is open three days a week. Officials said as demand grows, so will the business’ office hours.

The new Snoqualmie location joins centers in Bellevue and Kirkland as the only three Northwest Kidney Centers locations on the Eastside.

For the complete story, pick up a copy of this week’s Valley Record