The new Wind River Cares Dialysis Center in Riverton opened its doors to patients earlier this month. The location aims to address health care shortages for those with kidney disease in a more rural part of the state.
Before the center opened, the only place to get dialysis services in Fremont County was at the Wind River Dialysis Center in Fort Washakie, more than 30 miles away.
Sarah Harris is the new center’s facility administrator and said that long of a drive wasn’t ideal for a lot of patients.
“They already don't feel well after treatment and then having to tack on a 45 minute to an hour drive on top of that is difficult. It's also difficult for the family,” she said.
Harris is also the site’s nurse manager and has worked in the world of dialysis for seven years. She said the process is time-consuming – the average patient needs about four hours of treatment three times a week, with an extra 15 to 30 minutes on the front end and back end of the procedure.
But for people experiencing kidney disease or kidney failure, dialysis can be a game changer.
“We pull excess toxins and fluid out of the bloodstream that the body isn't able to eliminate naturally because the kidneys don't function as they're supposed to,” she said. “The process of dialysis does about 30 percent of what a healthy kidney would do.”
Harris said there’s a “very high” need for the service in Fremont County and the Wind River Reservation, and added that the new location could also draw more folks to the area.
“Having an additional center will allow more people to move to our area, maybe move closer to family in this area and still be able to receive services, as well as patients who want to come and experience Wyoming on vacation,” she said. “Having a place for them to come and receive treatment on a vacation will boost our economy.”
The building for the new dialysis center is on West Main Street in Riverton and was formerly the Days Inn Motel. It was purchased a few years ago by Wind River Cares, which has been independently administered by the Northern Arapaho Tribe through a contract with Indian Health Services.
Christion Pulver is the center’s administrative officer and said that offering dialysis services has impacts for a wide range of people and businesses.
“We've had great feedback from the community and from the nursing home here in Riverton, because they'll be able to bring their patients here, which means that they can then accept patients who are on dialysis,” she said.
The center is currently operating with a provisional license and is running three days a week. It’s at its maximum capacity treating eight patients and there’s a waitlist for those looking for treatment.
The facility will be able to treat nearly 40 people once it receives Medicare certification, which Polver said will take roughly three months.
The clinic is open to tribal members and non-tribal members alike.
