Over the past year, Pella Regional Health Center has worked on a transition of ownership of the hospital’s dialysis unit to DaVita, Inc.

DaVita Kidney Care is a leading provider of kidney care in the United States, delivering dialysis services to patients with chronic kidney failure and end stage renal disease. The transition to DaVita was completed April 1st.

“The priority of all staff is to continue to offer the high quality of care that we have always offered,” said Dialysis Manager Leisha Huyser. “All of our current staff are transitioning to employment with DaVita. We take pride in the care our patients receive and intend to ensure that our patients continue to receive the best possible dialysis service.”

DaVita has purchased land on Jefferson Street across from Pella Regional and will be building a new facility over the next year. Until the new facility opens in 2018, DaVita will offer dialysis services in the current hospital location. Construction is estimated to take up to 12 months.

“As we talked with DaVita over the past year, we saw a tremendous benefit for Pella-area patients,” said Yvonne O’Brien-Evans, Chief Nursing Officer. “Pella Regional was limited in growing our patient volumes or offering peritoneal (home) dialysis. As a large provider of dialysis services, DaVita has indicated that more services will be available, including home dialysis. In addition, there will not be a cap on the number served for dialysis. This is great news for patients.”