(Colonial Heights, Virginia) – City officials, hospital leaders, patients and physicians gathered at U.S. Renal Care’s Colonial Heights facility to mark the opening of the first dialysis center in the city located at 1617 Boulevard.  The state-of-the-art, 13-station facility will provide greater access to lifesaving care for patients living with kidney disease.

“This facility is so much closer to my home so I can spend more time doing the things I love instead of traveling to and from dialysis three days a week,” said Colonial Heights resident DeJuan Daniels, who is the first patient to be treated at the new location.  “Dialysis can be exhausting, but knowing I have the best people taking care of me in a place that feels less like a doctor’s office and more like home, really brings me peace of mind.”

Along with a convenient location, patients will have access to an entire team of dedicated   professionals including dieticians, social workers and nurses who will provide patients and their families with the support and resources they need to stay on a healthy path during treatment. The new center comes equipped with massage chairs, personal TVs at each station, calming aesthetics and beautiful art to ensure a relaxing experience and healing environment.

“Access to quality treatment and the support of a dedicated, compassionate team are U.S. Renal Care’s top priorities when it comes caring for patients,” said Dr. Satish Bankuru, an area nephrologist who will serve as the facility’s Medical Director. “The Colonial Heights center will fill an important need in the community and we are committed to providing the support patients need to maintain a healthy lifestyle and quality of life while on dialysis.”

The new facility will help meet the increased need for dialysis services in the area. The need for such services has grown across the board, due in part to an aging population who often experience an increase in kidney-related diseases.  Prevalence of diabetes, the leading cause of kidney failure, has increased dramatically both regionally and nationally. The National Institute of Health estimates that more than 1 in 10 Americans over the age of 20 suffers from diabetes.  And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects that the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in the United States will increase 165 percent by 2050.

This is U.S. Renal Care’s third dialysis center in Virginia. The company operates facilities in Warsaw and Ashland. For more information on the Colonial Heights facility, please call (804) 520-1627.