Hope Dialysis Center, the territory’s first private dialysis clinic will be dedicated and opened this Friday and it will be opened to the public the following week .
CEO Chris Fischer said nephrologist, Dr. Jean Letarte will begin seeing patients for exams/bloodwork that have ESRD or End Stage Renal Disease.
Patients will then be scheduled for dialysis treatment that have Medicare or private insurance. A co-payment will be required at each visit, and Hope Dialysis Center is working with The Kidney Fund to make future co-payments for all patients.
Services that will be available are exams for ESRD patients that have already been diagnosed and dialysis treatment.
Dr. Letarte has 30 years experience in treating dialysis patients and has signed a 2 year contract with Hope Dialysis Center.
There are 12 treatment chairs, and HDC will have two shifts per day, 6 days a week to see 48 patients at the beginning.
Fisher said if there’s higher demand a third shift will be added to see more patients.
He adds that all the staffing is complete and HDC has management in place, nurses, techs, administration personnel. and orderlies ready to begin.
The Center for Medicaid and Medicare Service (CMS) will be onsite from Hawaii on September 30 for their first inspection of the Hope Dialysis Center which is the recipient of a $300,000 investment from the American Samoa Venture Fund.
