Patients concerned East Cleveland dialysis center is temporarily closing

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Dialysis patients at Fresenius Kidney Care in East Cleveland are worried about the center closing in less than a month.

Fresenius Medical Care said this location is temporarily closing because of short staffing.

Rev. Terry Paul has been a patient at this facility for nearly three years. It’s convenient for him because it’s only a few minute drive from his Glenville neighborhood home.

“The patients are already dealing with life threatening disease, but then you’re going to move those patients causing more hardship on them,” Paul said.

He’s worried about his Glenville neighbors who had to travel less than two miles for their appointment. With new location, they have to go more than five miles for their treatment.

“It’s a very serious thing any time that you put human beings in jeopardy of their life and disrupting their care,” Paul said.

The 19 Troubleshooters worked to find answers on how Paul and his neighbors can get transportation to and from the new facility.

A spokesperson for Fresenius Medical Care said they will work with their patients on a case-by-case basis, so they can get to and from their dialysis appointments.

Here is the full statement from Fresenius Medical Care:

“Like most healthcare providers in the U.S., we are facing unprecedented and ongoing staffing issues, including shortages and significant cost challenges. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 350,000 healthcare professionals have left the industry since February 2020. Staffing is the most critical issue facing healthcare today.

“Our priority remains providing safe, high-quality, and life-sustaining dialysis treatments to our patients in the Cleveland area. To ensure we meet that goal, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily suspend services at the East Cleveland center and will move patients and staff to a clinic approximately three miles away. We remain committed to providing patients the best care possible.

“We hope to resume services at the center as soon as we have adequate staff to safely do so. We continue to aggressively hire and train new local employees and our care teams are working hard every day to provide premium care to those battling kidney disease.”

Copyright 2022 WOIO. All rights reserved.