Gift to assist patients with transportation costs to treatments
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A gift from the United Way of Aroostook will help kidney disease patients from all over The County get to their treatments.
The County Dialysis Center in Presque Isle received a $2,000 check recently from the United Way. The funds will assist patients from every corner of Aroostook County with transportation costs. Currently, several patients must drive over 300 miles each week for their medical care.
“The United Way of Aroostook County is committed to helping our County neighbors in need, and we want to support patients who need assistance reaching the dialysis center for lifesaving treatments,” explained Sherry Locke, executive director of the United Way of Aroostook.
Founded in 1997, the treatment site is a department of The Aroostook Medical Center and the only dialysis center in Aroostook County, as well as the only not-for-profit dialysis center in the state of Maine. Over 102,000 vital treatments have been given to area patients since the center opened its doors.
The life sustaining service is an integral part of TAMC’s commitment to providing the best care for all County patients, hospital officials said.
“We are very grateful to the United Way for this generous gift,” said Pamela Frank, dialysis center manager. “We have more than 50 patients who travel from all over Aroostook County to come here multiple times a week for life-sustaining treatment. Without the center, they would have to travel to Lincoln or Bangor for treatment.”
Frank added, “Having a dialysis center close to home allows patients to receive local care while having the support network of their families and friends.”
Upgrades to both facilities and equipment are necessary, and last summer, TAMC began a development campaign to build a larger kidney dialysis center to accommodate the growing number of local patients. Not only is the space no longer adequate, but some of the equipment, which has run consistently six days a week for nearly 20 years, has exceeded its useful life.
For information or to donate to the County Dialysis Center campaign, call 768-4350 or visit tamc.org.
