Senator Robach Secures $250,000 For Rochester General Hospital Dialysis Unit

Senator Joe Robach today announced $250,000 in State funding for the new Rochester General Hospital Dialysis Unit.

The outpatient dialysis unit, which will relocate from its current space in the Medical Office Building adjacent to Rochester General, will afford greater convenience and accessibility for patients, along with a host of additional comforts. Patients will now be able to park at street level when arriving for appointments, avoiding parking garages and elevators that had been part of their prior travel requirements. The new space will also hold 10 units, more than double the previous 4 unit capacity.

"I am very happy to have obtained funding to help build this new facility. Unfortunately, kidney disease is prevalent in the Rochester area. This new dialysis unit will allow more patients to receive treatment and provide greater convenience and comfort to patients suffering from the disease" stated Senator Robach.

Another important improvement will be the relocation of Rochester General’s nephrology practice - the Center for Kidney Disease and Hypertension – under the same roof as the dialysis center. This will make physicians more available to patients and create a "one-stop shopping" arrangement. Previously the practice was located on the sixth floor of the hospital.

More than 20 million Americans suffer from diseases of the kidney with 90,000 dying each year. In the greater Rochester area, 1360 Rochesterians suffer from chronic kidney failure and need an artificial kidney machine to stay alive.

This new unit opened on June 12, 2006.