The dialysis center at the Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County (MHLC) will be closed as of Wednesday, April 23.
    The dialysis center at MHLC has provided services at the hospital on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays since the fall of 2005, but will do so no more.
    According to hospital administrator Julie Chikowski, most dialysis centers close when there are less than 10 patients utilizing the services and that MHLC’s dialysis center has been below 10 patients for a very long time.
    Most recently the dialysis center was serving only four patients and according to Chikowski, that low patient census, along with the age of the equipment (12 years), the declining need for in center dialysis as well as the availability of those services in the surrounding area led to the decision to close the hospital’s dialysis center.
    The next closest dialysis centers are located in Dodgeville and Platteville.
    Chikowski said that the decision to close the unit was finalized at the March 25 hospital meeting after much consideration and patients that utilized the center were notified of the upcoming closure just days afterwards so they could begin making alternative arrangements.
    Dialysis center staff also worked with patients to assist them with the upcoming transition and provided referrals in order to make the transition as easy as possible.    
    According to Chikowski, the three staff members who worked at the dialysis center will be absorbed into the hospital staff. “We need every one of them,” she said.