U.S. SENATOR PATRICK LEAHY

Leahy Delivers $500,000
For North Country Hospital
Dialysis Unit

NEWPORT (Tues., Nov. 23) – Renal dialysis patients from across the Northeast Kingdom are one step closer to being able to receive their treatments a little nearer to home thanks in part to a $500,000 federal check that Sen. Patrick Leahy secured over the weekend.

Fletcher Allen Health Care of Burlington will use the funds to equip North Country Hospital in Newport with nine renal dialysis stations.  Renal dialysis is a recurring treatment used to help patients suffering from ailments such as kidney disease.  The outpatient procedure uses mechanized assistance to help with proper kidney function. 

Patients requiring the treatment in Franklin, Lamoille, Essex, Orleans and Caledonia counties currently commute more than an hour to receive treatment at dialysis centers in places like Burlington or Hanover, often several times a week or month.  Leahy pledged to find a solution when he visited North Country Hospital in August to meet with dialysis patients who face the grueling commute and heard their personal stories.

“These Vermonters face many hardships, and Marcelle and I are delighted that this part of their burden soon will be a little lighter,” said Leahy.  “Good health care means having good access, and this partnership and these funds mark another milestone in bringing better healthcare opportunities closer to more Vermonters.  The frequent day-long road trips for relatively brief but life-saving treatments are coming to an end thanks to the work of Fletcher Allen Health Care and North Country Hospital.”

"Senator Leahy has shown us the positive role that government can play in assuring fair access to essential healthcare services for Vermonters," said President of North Country Hospital Karen Weller.

"We are grateful to Senator Leahy for recognizing the real need to bring dialysis to patients in the Northeast Kingdom," said Melinda Estes, M.D., president and chief executive officer of Fletcher Allen Health Care.  "We are proud to be a part of this effort."

The total cost of the project is expected to be near $1.5 million.  The State of Vermont has committed $485,000 for the project and a North Country Hospital community capital campaign has already raised a majority of the remaining balance. 

Leahy secured the funds as a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the panel that writes the federal government’s annual budget bills.  The $500,000 in federal funds was approved as part of an overall federal budget bill cleared by Congress over the weekend and is expected to be signed by President Bush within the next two weeks.  All spending in the bill is subject to a reduction of less than one percent as part of an across-the-board cost savings measure.   

# # # # #