Fresenius Kidney Care expands into Albany through Logan Court clinic

ALBANY — The expansion of access to health care is continuing in the Albany area, with one of the most recent additions being a resource for those suffering from kidney disease.

Fresenius Kidney Care, the dialysis division of Fresenius Medical Care North America, has a clinic in Albany that opened less than a year ago and has since seen that there was additional need for end-stage kidney care.

The clinic, which has capacity for 60 patients, is one of several in south Georgia. It opened in April, and has nearly 30 patients it sees three days a week. It is currently serving in-house dialysis patients and transient dialysis patients, and has the capacity to offer home-based services.

There are 10 stations for in-house services, and four home dialysis set-ups available for those who request them. There are two nurses and three patient safety technicians now providing care six days a week.

The clinic was not initially providing care six days a week, but saw an increase that quickly indicated the increasing need.

“In the demographic in Albany there was a huge need for a dialysis clinic,” said Diana Campione, director of operations for the south Georgia area. “There is an unreal number in this market.”

Candice Horton, the clinic’s manager, said the facility has received patients who have had to travel to Cordele, Americus and as far away as Alabama for care due to how fast other centers have filled up.

“There are facilities here, but they are having to travel out of state,” she said.

There has been growth taking place at the Albany location that is faster than predicted.

“I’ve been doing dialysis for almost 15 years, and I’ve never seen a population with more end-stage kidney disease,” Horton said.

Fresenius also has clinics in Thomasville, Bainbridge, Columbus and Valdosta, and there may be potential for expansion.

“Our hope is that we could expand in the market,” Campione said. “We are working to get a foothold in the market and seeing where we land. We are always looking for new markets.”

The Albany clinic, located at 110 Logan Court adjacent to the Walmart Neighborhood Market on South Westover Boulevard, is inviting the public to attend an open house from 4 p.m.-7 p.m. on Thursday. In addition to meeting the staff, there will be tours of the facility conducted.

Partners in the health care community have been invited along with patients and their families.

In 2015, the Southwest Public Health District, which includes 14 counties in Southwest Georgia, saw 477 hospital discharges related to kidney disease among adults ages 45-74.

Fresenius Kidney Care provides dialysis treatment and services to more than 180,000 patients with kidney disease at more than 2,200 facilities nationwide.

For more information, call (229) 883-1119.