Presque Isle facility seeks funds, space to treat more patients
PRESQUE ISLE — The County Dialysis Center, the only kidney dialysis service in Aroostook County, recently announced the public phase of its $750,000 capital campaign for an upgraded facility and equipment.
The center provides treatments three times a week to patients from every corner of Aroostook County, some of whom travel over 340 miles each week for their critical care.
Founded in 1997 with 12 patients, the County Dialysis Center is a department of The Aroostook Medical Center and the only not-for-profit dialysis center in Maine. The facility now serves 53 patients and has provided over 102,000 vital treatments since it opened.
“The County Dialysis Center operates at a loss annually, but it is a unit our community desperately needs,” said Glenda Dwyer, TAMC’s interim president. “The life-sustaining service is an integral part of TAMC’s commitment to providing the best care for all County patients.”
Center officials are now asking the public to help support this critical healthcare service by donating to the capital campaign.
Last summer, the hospital began the quiet phase of a $750,000 capital campaign to update and enlarge the kidney dialysis center to accommodate the growing number of patients. Not only was the space no longer adequate to serve patients, but critical equipment which had operated consistently six days a week for nearly 20 years had far exceeded its useful life. The upgrades to both facilities and equipment were desperately needed.
“Without the Center, patients would have to travel to Lincoln or Bangor for treatment, move from The County or go without treatments altogether,” said Pamela Frank, manager of the County Dialysis Center.
“Having a dialysis center close to home allows patients to receive local care with the support network of their families and friends,” Frank said. “This is a great cause that truly saves the lives of our neighbors in need and we hope people will support this critical program.”
An anonymous Aroostook County donor recently made a $125,000 gift to the Dialysis Center campaign and urged others to support this service that allows patients to receive care close to home. In addition, several other local individuals and companies have made financial contributions to the effort and annual net proceeds from TAMC’s Country Heart Gift Shop have been allocated to the campaign. All of this critical support has helped the campaign raise 54 percent of its total goal.
For information or to support the County Dialysis Center campaign, call 768-4350 or visit tamc.org/dialysis.
