ST. ALBANS — The fate of a St. Albans dialysis clinic is up in the air.
Due to budget cuts, the University of Vermont Medical Center is considering outsourcing its dialysis clinics in St. Albans, Rutland and Newport to alternative providers.
The health network will continue to operate the facility until or until a new manager for the life-saving service is found. The changes will affect approximately 115 patients across the state, including 40 in the St. Albans area.
“We are committed to supporting our patients and employees affected by these difficult decisions,” Dr. Stephen Loeffler, president and chief operating officer of the University of Vermont Medical Center, said in a statement. Ta. “These actions are in direct contradiction to our nonprofit mission of being here for patients who need us, and we deeply regret the negative impact this will have on Vermonters. .”
Health network leaders blame the cuts on state regulatory actions implemented by the Green Mountain Care Commission, a five-member state group focused on reducing health care costs across the system. The board limits the amount state hospitals can bill commercial insurance to regulate increases to patients, impacting the medical services each hospital provides.
At a dialysis clinic in St. Albans, patients and health care providers are concerned.
“This is extremely shocking and unfortunate for all of us,” said Heather Kosher, a dialysis nurse at the clinic. “It’s a really bad way to deal with budget caps by cutting critical services to very vulnerable patients.”
The St. Albans practice treats approximately 40 patients with end-stage renal disease or kidney failure. Patients use a machine to cleanse their blood three days a week for about four hours at a time.
Nadine Reinhardt now commutes from across Jay Peak to a clinic in St. Albans. She relies on GMTA bus service to get to and from appointments because her elderly parents are unable to drive long distances. If the clinic closes, she will have to take public transportation further south to Burlington or have a dialysis machine installed at home.
“I would have to put a needle in her arm to do that, and I have no intention of doing that,” said her mother, Peggy, 79. “I'm an older woman. It's something I'm not equipped to deal with as a mother.”
The St. Albans practice treats approximately 40 patients with end-stage renal disease or kidney failure. Patients use a machine to cleanse their blood three days a week for about four hours at a time.
St. Albans resident Jeffrey Williams now has a much shorter commute to the clinic, which means he can travel there and back by himself. If caregiving moves further away, he said, he would need to move or have someone drive him.
Kosher said the Burlington Dialysis Center is not equipped to handle more patients, and some patients may be forced to travel out of state.
“At that point, there will probably be patients who will die because they choose not to do that,” she said.
Williams said she learned about the potential closure of her St. Albans practice from a notice handed out to patients. The clinic's administrative nurse has been listening to patients' concerns, but she doesn't know what will happen next.
“She's not sure,” Williams said. “She doesn't believe we might not leave.”
The St Albans Clinic has 17 clinical staff, as well as several other staff who move between centres, including a dietician, social worker and renal technician.
Kosher said staff have not yet been contacted about the status of their jobs, many of which are highly specialized and require years of training.
“I really want to stay here and take care of dialysis patients,” she said. “I'm going to do that until they kick me out.”
In a joint statement, Northwestern Medical Center, North Country Hospital, and Rutland Regional Medical Center announced that they have begun discussions with UVM Health Network to find ways to maintain dialysis care in their respective service areas.
“This process is still in its early stages and will ultimately require regulatory approval,” they said. “We look forward to GMCB recognizing this critical need and supporting hospitals to transition care in a way that balances the needs of our organizations with the needs of our patients. We must be confident that we can reasonably fund and support under the restrictions imposed by the GMCB.”
In addition to changes to dialysis treatments, UVMMC also announced proposed cuts to other patient services across its hospital network. At Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin, leaders plan to close the inpatient psychiatric unit.
Changes are also expected at UVM Medical Center in Burlington, which will admit fewer patients for night care. The health network also plans to consolidate primary care and rehabilitation clinics in central Vermont and close at least two locations in Waitsfield.
