New dialysis center under roof

Monday, April 9, 2007

Area residents who suffer from chronic kidney failure will soon be able to take care of the dilemma within the county.

Fresenius Medical Care, an integrated provider of products and services for individuals suffering from kidney failure, is currently building a new dialysis center on Medic Way behind Putnam County Hospital.

Construction for the building began nearly two months ago and according to construction supervisor Fred Christenberry, all is going well.

"We're supposed to have it done by June," Christenberry, construction superintendent for Battershell and Associates told the BannerGraphic recently. "Things are working out quite well."

Christenberry admitted the winter storms in February and March did cause at least a one-month delay, but said he expected the building would be up by the current target date.

Battershell and Associates, an architectural company based in Danville, is constructing the building. The company is owned and operated by John Battershell.

According to its website, Fresenius Medical Care has a network of 2,108 dialysis clinics in North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia-Pacific and it provides treatment to nearly 164,000 patients around the globe. The company also claims to be the world's largest provider of dialysis products.

Fresenius Medical Care is part of Fresenius AG. According to the company website, the Hirsch Pharmacy was established in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1462 and the Fresenius family assumed ownership in the 18th century.

According to Wikipedia, dialysis is a "type of renal replacement therapy, which is used to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function due to renal failure."

Dialysis is a life support treatment and does not treat any type of kidney diseases. It may be used for sick patients who have lost kidney function or for stable patients who have permanently lost kidney function.

The kidneys remove waste products from the blood and also remove excess fluid. Dialysis treatments duplicate both of these functions.

Phone calls to Fresenius Medical Care representatives were not returned.

According to PCH Executive Director Dennis Weatherford, Dr. Sharif Elassal of Terre Haute will be the medical director of the new facility.

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