Officials push for expedited approval of dialysis center at Lowville hospital

LOWVILLE — Lewis County General Hospital officials are seeking speedy approval of a long-awaited renal dialysis center that would allow for a fall 2010 opening.

"We're trying to push the need and handicap of travel for chronically ill people to move it along," said Eric R. Burch, chief executive officer at the county-owned hospital.

Faxton-St. Luke's Healthcare, Utica, has submitted a certificate of need to the state Department of Health to operate an eight-station renal dialysis clinic, with the option to add two more stations, on the hospital's North State Street campus, Mr. Burch said. The state agency last month assigned it a file number, allowing its review to commence, he said.

While such applications typically take at least 10 months to process, Mr. Burch said he would like to see this project receive approval within the next four or five months. With construction of a proposed addition expected to take about five more months, that timeline still would allow the center to open by next fall, he said.

"The whole goal is to try to avoid that winter trip," Mr. Burch said. "But we didn't make it this year."

Plans are to extend the Medical Arts Building's first floor and basement, adding about 2,000 square feet per floor, to accommodate the proposed dialysis center, he said.

Dialysis patients typically undergo four-hour treatments three days each week.

About 25 Lewis County residents now receive dialysis treatments in either Watertown or Utica, and about 25 more renal patients between Boonville and Utica don't have a permanent slot at an existing clinic, Mr. Burch said.

"We'll probably be picking those folks up, too," he said.

The proposed clinic has received support from both the hospital board of managers and county Board of Legislators. Hospital officials are working with staffers from the office of state Sen. Joseph A. Griffo, R-Rome, in hopes of speeding up the approval process, Mr. Burch said.

Martinsburg resident Edward Ingersoll, who in 2005 turned in a petition signed by more than 2,000 people requesting dialysis services here, recently presented that document to Mr. Griffo, Mr. Burch said.

Hospital officials also are seeking county residents willing to send letters of support for the proposed clinic to Mr. Griffo, providing him more leverage to fight for rapid Health Department approval, Mr. Burch said.

Anyone interested is asked to contact Thom C. Corroon, the hospital's director of marketing and community relations, at 376-5001 or by e-mail at pr@lcgh.net. Hospital officials also plan to post a form letter on the hospital's Web site that supporters will be able to print, sign and send to Mr. Griffo's office.

County legislators in both 2006 and 2007 supported proposed certificate-of-need submissions by Renal Care of Northern New York, which operates a 24-unit dialysis center on outer Washington Street in Watertown. The first plan was to set up an "extension home dialysis center" that would provide support for home-based treatment, while the second was for a more traditional center.

However, those proposals never came to fruition.

While only one doctor in Watertown ultimately expressed interest in serving a clinic here, Faxton-St. Luke's will offer support from up to six providers in two nephrology groups, Mr. Burch said.

Hospital officials also are exploring other potential partnerships with the Utica health care company, including opening a satellite oncology clinic here.

"That group of people shouldn't have to travel, either," Mr. Burch said.