Dialysis Center on its way
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Dialysis Center on its way
Photo by Shane Gilreath
Tuesday’s announcement of plans for a dialysis center to come to Huntsville was meet with widespread approval. Those in attendance at the announcement were Scott County Mayor Jerried Jeffers, Huntsville Mayor Dennis Jeffers, Scott County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Stacey Swann , Vice President of Life Safety Grainger Smith, Vice President of People, Education, & Cultural Management Patrick Dougherty, Vice President of Operations Rick Mountz, Administrator John Norris, COO Carla Buttram, and CEO David Herskowitz.
Leaders converge to make Scott County a Medical Leader
By Shane Gilreath
According to data from the American Kidney Fund, nearly 35.5 million Americans are living with kidney disease. More than half a million of them are receiving dialysis as a form of renal treatment, as statistics indicate that kidney disease is expanding by an alarming rate across the country, effecting 1 in 7, or 14%, of American adults. In Tennessee, the number of patients suffering from kidney disorders, and kidney failure in particular, has increased 27% in the last decade. Tuesday, Scott County leaders converged to take steps to protect local patients and offer services to those in surrounding areas.
For decades, chronic kidney disease has been called a silent killer. In fact, 9 out of 10 people with the disease are unaware they have it. It’s symptoms are often few and by the time patients seek medical care, the damage has already been done.
Scott County Mayor Jerried Jeffers, one of several community leaders in attendance at Huntsville Post-Acute and Rehabilitation Center, told SCN that 17 Scott County patients are currently undergoing dialysis. “That number,” he said, “is expected to grow with an aging population.”
Jeffers played a pivotal role in the development of the dialysis center, first suggesting it to the David Herskowitz, CEO of Plainview Healthcare, the parent company of Huntsville Post-Acute Center. Herskowitz, for his part, told those in attendance that his company had long wanted to do something of this magnitude. Scott County, however, is their first endeavor of this kind with plans being laid for approximately a year before Tuesday’s announcement.
“Dialysis is always a strong need,” Herskowitz said, looking ahead at the possibilities this new wing will provide for Scott County residents and those from surrounding areas. “Transport,” he said, “takes a toll on the body.”
The new facility, which hopes to become VA certified and prevent the long distance travels of local patients, as well as attract those form surround areas, will see a wing constructed off the existing Huntsville location, and will, at first, seek to help patients with in-house care. Long term, it is organizers hope that the dialysis center will expand to allow for outpatient care.
“God managed to put everything together at the right time,” Jeffers said.
The facility, which will have the capacity to host 24 patients, also hopes to be an example of what can be built and provided locally, as Scott County continues to expand its horizons. According to the company, the project is expected to be a six month undertaking with hopes to be open and running by Spring 2026.
