The public got a chance Friday to see the new home for Fargo MeritCare's kidney dialysis and sleep centers.
The two programs now are housed at 2801 S. University Drive, a few blocks south of their former location at MeritCare's South University campus.
The kidney dialysis center now has much more room and greater privacy for patients, said Wanda Borchert, the center's manager.
Previously, MeritCare's 28 dialysis units were located on two floors, neither as accessible as the ground-level access in the new center.
The center also has room to expand to 42 chairs, with the expectation that it soon will get approval to add four units, for a total of 32, Borchert said.
ADVERTISEMENT
"It's so compressed," she said of the old unit. "This is a much more comfortable, relaxed facility. We're not sitting on top of each other."
MeritCare's dialysis center serves 142 patients. Another 30-plus are able to have home dialysis.
The sleep center, located on the upper level, has eight exam rooms for patients with sleep disorders and 10 sleeping rooms where patients can be monitored and observed to aid in diagnosis.
Observation rooms look somewhat similar to a motel room, with monitors and a video camera to record activity that technicians chart to aid in diagnosing the sleep problem.
For a sleep study, patients must have a referral, often from a primary-care doctor.
"We get patients from all specialties," said Gary A. Lee, the sleep center's manager. For instance, people suffering from chronic sleep deprivation sometimes develop heart problems, he said.
The new center's first sleep patients will stay overnight Sunday, and the new dialysis center opens Monday.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Patrick Springer at (701) 241-5522
ADVERTISEMENT
