Ever since DaVita moved operations to Keyser from Moorefield, patients with kidney problems requiring dialysis have seen additional hardships in trying to get to their appointments.
In the near future, that will change.
Over the past year, three local officials have embarked on a mission to restore this vital service to Moorefield with the goal of restoring convenient service to Hardy, Pendleton, and Grant counties.
Bill Ours with the Hardy County Health Department, along with Greg Greenwalt and Hardy County Committee on Aging Executive Director Mike Crites led the effort. They worked on two tiers, dealing with the company itself and also mustering support from the surrounding area.
Several months ago, the trio made the rounds of local government bodies, meeting with the County Commissions of Pendleton, Hardy, and Grant, as well as the Town of Moorefield and Town of Petersburg requesting support to help secure the deal.
As Ours explained, the former center relocated two years ago. At that point, former Committee on Aging executive director Phyllis Helmick opened discussions with the largest corporation on the globe that specializes in kidney disease treatment facilities, Germany-based Fresenius.
He shared that the company recently agreed to sign a 10-year lease to operate their kidney dialysis center in Moorefield.
Many of the remaining challenges involve getting the building ready for the center, many of which are costly. Crites shared an example, stating that the elevator in the building has two broken parts that require repair. Two minor parts, which just by themselves cost $81.75, will be added to the cost of labor, which has been estimated at $2,165. A crew must come from Pittsburg to conduct the job.
“A lot is good to go,” explained Ours, because a dialysis center had operated in the same space before. The differences in how each company approached its facility design, however, add to the renovation needs before operations can commence.
A more major project lies in installing an additional steel beam under the second floor where the center’s equipment will rest. This is required because of the different configurations of equipment that Fresenius will use. Gas lines will also require maintenance, among a number of other details.
As for the expected opening date, officials have not yet established one. Crites, however, stated that “they are moving fast.”
The need for these services has risen tremendously. Nationally, the percentage of Americans with diabetes tops 11 percent. West Virginia from 2019 to 2023 saw a death rate of more than 40 percent from the different conditions categorized under diabetes mellitus.
Diabetes and high blood pressure are the two leading causes of kidney disease.
Regionally, Pendleton County had a rate of 48 percent, Hampshire 39, Hardy 32, and Grant 30. The United States percentage was only 23 percent.
These numbers, Crites and Ours agree, underscore the need to have these services both available and convenient to patients.
